Barriers to effective communication in UAE community pharmacies: general public perspectives on enhancing patient-pharmacist interaction and policy development

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.