Need and satisfaction of healthcare specialists toward the performance of clinical pharmacists: A cross-sectional study in Palestine

Abstract

Background: Although the willingness of healthcare specialists is a determining factor in the successful implementation of clinical pharmacy services, there is little information on specialists’ needs and satisfaction with incorporating such a new discipline into Palestinian clinical practice. Hence, this study aimed to determine the need and satisfaction of healthcare specialists toward the performance of clinical pharmacists in Palestine. Methods: A cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was undertaken between March and May 2022 at a tertiary care pediatric hospital. A total of 175 healthcare specialists (physicians, pharmacists, and nurses) working alongside clinical pharmacists were asked to participate in this survey. T-test and one-way ANOVA were used to examine the association between need and satisfaction with the different variables. Results: Of the total; 167 specialists completed the questionnaire with a response rate of 95.4%. The majority 95.8% of specialists expressed a need to work with clinical pharmacists and 94% of them were satisfied with their positive contribution to healthcare delivery. Significant differences were found between the practitioners' need and their country of education (p= 0.009) and profession (p= 0. 026). Moreover, male participants (p = 0.001) and those holding a master's degree (p = 0.002) were significantly satisfied with the performance of clinical pharmacists in the healthcare team. Conclusion: Most healthcare specialists had a positive belief in adopting the performance of clinical pharmacists in direct patient care. Consequently, Palestinian stakeholders should be in place to extrapolate clinical pharmacy workers within various healthcare centers and promote their professional collaboration with other specialists.