Nurse-Pharmacist Collaborations for Promoting Medication Safety in Pandemic and Epidemic Disease

Abstract

Objectives: The current study aims to discover nurses’ expectations and experiences about pharmacists in private sector hospitals in Najran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to November 2021 in three private sector hospitals in Najran, Saudi Arabia. A convenience sample of nurses (n = 377) was enrolled in this study. Data were obtained through a previously validated questionnaire. Responses were statistically analyzed using SPSSv.22.

Results: Questionnaires were returned, giving a response rate of 63.6%, of which 20 were unusable (n = 240). Of the remaining 220, 24.1% (n = 53) responded that they never or rarely interacted with a pharmacist. Participants who expect pharmacists to collaborate with nurses to solve medication-related problems were 45%. Nurses' experience with pharmacists was not significant with only 44.5% of participants considering pharmacists a reliable source of clinical medication information.

Conclusion: Pharmacists are not well regarded by nurses in Medina, which necessitates pharmacists filling the perceived gap and using a more strategic and consistent approach to build a more positive image aligned with other healthcare professionals and in providing patient-centered pharmaceutical care.