Assessment of medication review among pharmacy professionals in the UAE: A cross-sectional study on knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers.

BACKGROUND: Medication reviews are vital for optimizing patient care and resolving drug-related problems, with pharmacists playing a key role. Understanding pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes, perceived barriers, and practices regarding medication reviews in the UAE is crucial for enhancing medication safety. AIM: To assess the knowledge, attitudes, perceived barriers, and practices of pharmacy professionals in the UAE concerning medication reviews. METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey was distributed to licensed pharmacists in the UAE with at least a bachelor's degree. The survey collected data on demographics, knowledge, attitudes, perceived barriers, and practices related to medication reviews. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal-Wallis H tests, and Spearman's rank correlation were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of 426 pharmacists approached, 421 responded (98.8%). Most agreed that medication reviews should be pharmacist-led (99.5%) and include comprehensive patient profiles (99.0%). Awareness was high for prescription reviews (94.3%) but low for Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe classifications (4.3%). Positive attitudes were widespread (98.8%), and major barriers included time constraints (83.6%) and workload (76.7%). Around 73% conducted medication reviews, but over half did not use standardized tools. Gender differences were found in knowledge (p = 0.003) and attitudes (p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: Pharmacists in the UAE have positive attitudes toward medication reviews but face barriers, particularly time constraints and workload. Enhanced training is needed to address these issues and improve patient outcomes.