TY - JOUR
T1 - Barriers to effective communication in UAE community pharmacies
T2 - general public perspectives on enhancing patient-pharmacist interaction and policy development
AU - Kharaba, Zelal
AU - Al-Azayzih, Ahmad
AU - Al-Azzam, Sayer
AU - Jarab, Anan
AU - Hasan, Hisham E.
AU - Rahhal, Dania
AU - Jirjees, Feras
AU - Al-Kubaisi, Khalid A.
AU - Aljumah, Monia H.
AU - El-Dahiyat, Faris
AU - Meer, Sara
AU - Alqudah, Mohammad A.Y.
AU - Aldeyab, Mamoon A.
AU - Alzoubi, Karem H.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2025/2/13
Y1 - 2025/2/13
N2 - Background: Community pharmacies serve as accessible points of care, offering essential services such as medication dispensing, health consultations, vaccinations, and chronic disease management, thereby playing a critical role in the healthcare system. This study aims to identify and evaluate the factors that obstruct general public-pharmacist interactions, providing insights to enhance pharmacy environments. Methods: A total of 406 general publics were surveyed using a validated questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed with categorical variables presented as frequencies and percentages, and continuous variables as medians with 95% confidence intervals. Binary regression models were used to explore the relationships between sociodemographic characteristics and communication barriers, with a significance level set at p < 0.05 for all analyses. Results: The primary reasons for pharmacy visits were collecting prescription medications (61.58%) and purchasing OTC products (55.17%), while health screenings were less common (9.11%). Barriers to effective communication included crowded environments (61.58%), limited counseling time (45.81%), and lack of privacy (45.07%). Binary logistic regression revealed that participants who visited the pharmacy weekly were 5.5 times more likely to experience high environmental barriers (OR: 5.502, p = 0.002), while interacting with younger pharmacists increased the likelihood of personal barriers (OR: 12.357, p = 0.025). Pharmacy proximity (75.12%) and shorter waiting times (47.29%) were the most influential factors in pharmacy preference, while additional services had minimal impact (20.2%). Conclusion: Effective communication is crucial in community pharmacies for high-quality healthcare. This study identifies key barriers in the UAE and offers insights into targeted interventions to improve communication and public satisfaction.
AB - Background: Community pharmacies serve as accessible points of care, offering essential services such as medication dispensing, health consultations, vaccinations, and chronic disease management, thereby playing a critical role in the healthcare system. This study aims to identify and evaluate the factors that obstruct general public-pharmacist interactions, providing insights to enhance pharmacy environments. Methods: A total of 406 general publics were surveyed using a validated questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed with categorical variables presented as frequencies and percentages, and continuous variables as medians with 95% confidence intervals. Binary regression models were used to explore the relationships between sociodemographic characteristics and communication barriers, with a significance level set at p < 0.05 for all analyses. Results: The primary reasons for pharmacy visits were collecting prescription medications (61.58%) and purchasing OTC products (55.17%), while health screenings were less common (9.11%). Barriers to effective communication included crowded environments (61.58%), limited counseling time (45.81%), and lack of privacy (45.07%). Binary logistic regression revealed that participants who visited the pharmacy weekly were 5.5 times more likely to experience high environmental barriers (OR: 5.502, p = 0.002), while interacting with younger pharmacists increased the likelihood of personal barriers (OR: 12.357, p = 0.025). Pharmacy proximity (75.12%) and shorter waiting times (47.29%) were the most influential factors in pharmacy preference, while additional services had minimal impact (20.2%). Conclusion: Effective communication is crucial in community pharmacies for high-quality healthcare. This study identifies key barriers in the UAE and offers insights into targeted interventions to improve communication and public satisfaction.
KW - Community pharmacy
KW - effective communication
KW - environmental barriers
KW - personal barriers
KW - pharmacy services
KW - United Arab Emirates
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85218276155&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/20523211.2025.2460744
DO - 10.1080/20523211.2025.2460744
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85218276155
VL - 18
JO - Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice
JF - Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice
SN - 2052-3211
IS - 1
M1 - 2460744
ER -
