The role of pharmacists in diabetes management in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Objective To evaluate the services rendered by pharmacists, including the education offered, and the counseling barriers that are involved in providing necessary pharmaceutical care to patients with diabetes. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a representative sample of licensed pharmacists from Abu Dhabi. A self-administered questionnaire was designed and validated through pilot study and consisted of the demographics, counseling services, education provided, and barriers involved in providing pharmaceutical care to patients with diabetes. A total of 68 questions (20 closed-ended and 48 open-ended), of which the closed-ended questions used a 5-point Likert-type scale to evaluate responses (1 = never, 2 = rarely, 3 = sometimes, 4 = usually, 5 = always). The data obtained were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS (R)) program. Inferential statistics (chi-square test) was used to identify any significant differences between the responses of the participants regarding certain statements in the questionnaire with a p-value of < 0.05 Results The response rate was 60%, and the results indicated that over 35% of the pharmacists surveyed were actively involved in providing basic services to patients with diabetes. More than half of the respondents (45-75%) made a positive contribution towards educating patients on the role of medication in diabetic management. Less than 30% of pharmacists always provided counseling services on diabetes-associated complications. Almost 40% of the pharmacists always provided necessary insights relating to the need for a healthy lifestyle and living choices. Time constraints (89%) and workload (89.7%) represent the main barriers to providing diabetic care. Chi-square test was performed to determine the proportional differences in response patterns between gender, years of work experience, and average number of patients/customers per day. This is then compared with education services which seems to be differed from expected individual distribution indicating positive correlation. Conclusions A positive impact seems to be reflected on diabetes care management, and thus, a collaborative approach between the pharmacist and practitioners is a welcome move.