Counselling practices in community pharmacies in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Community pharmacists play a crucial role in optimising medication use and improving patient outcomes, whilst preventing medication misuse and reducing costs. Evidence suggests that pharmacists counselling improves clinical outcomes, quality of life, drug and disease knowledge and reduces health service utilisation. This study aims to investigate the counselling practices of community pharmacists in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. METHODS: The study consisted of two parts: simulated patients (SPs) visits to observe actual counselling practices, and a cross-sectional survey of community pharmacists to assess their reported counselling practices. In the SPs method, there were four scenarios involving four medications. Scenarios 1 and 2 concerned drug–drug interactions, scenario 3 concerned the proper time of administration, and scenario 4 concerned side effects. The simulated visits were conducted between April and May 2012. A four-sections questionnaire was distributed in the same period. RESULTS: We conducted 161 simulated visits. Out of the 161 visits a medicine was dispensed in 150 visits. When SPs requested medications, pharmacists asked questions during 15 visits (10.0 %), provided information during 7 visits (4.6 %), and both asked questions and provided information, i.e. provided counselling, during 4 visits (2.6 %). When the SPs started to be inquisitive and demanded information, pharmacists asked SPs questions during 71 visits (47.3 %), provided information during 150 visits (100 %), and both asked questions and provided information, i.e. provided counselling, during 65 visits (43.3 %). Information regarding dose was the most common type of information provided in 146 visits (97.3 %). After the SPs started to be inquisitive and probed for information, only 10 % were counselled on precautions. In the cross-sectional survey, four hundred pharmacists were approached and 350 agreed to participate in the questionnaire (87 % response rate). Of the respondents, 223 (63.7 %) reported that they usually or always tell the patient about the purpose of medicines or the diagnosis, 302 (86.2 %) reported that they usually or always give patient information on how to use or apply the medicine; 299 (85.3 %) said they were satisfied with their counselling practices. CONCLUSIONS: The present study highlights the current deficiencies in appropriate dispensing practices and medication counselling at community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia. Policy makers, stakeholders, and researchers should collaborate to design interventions to improve the current dispensing practices at community pharmacies across the country. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12913-015-1220-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.