Background: Community pharmacists’ interventions have been found to be highly effective. However, to date, there has been little information about pharmacists’ potential roles and perceived barriers to providing smoking cessation. This study aimed to assess the potential role of community pharmacists in supporting their patients to quit smoking by summarizing their self-reported level of current activities, confidence, and perceived barriers; Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was used for a cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia. As part of the questionnaire, demographic characteristics were measured, as well as confidence, perceived berries, and level of smoking cessation activities (asking, advising, assessing, assisting, and arranging, including follow-up).; Results: 370 community pharmacists practicing responded to the survey. Pharmacists indicated high activity rates about advising and assessing patients in quitting smoking, with lower rates of assisting and arranging, including following up. The rate of recording smoking status was very low. There were significant differences between gender, source of education, years practicing as a licensed pharmacist, attended an education or training program on smoking cessation, and interest in providing smoking and perceived practice of smoking cessation. Pharmacists are confident about providing smoking cessation activities. Barriers to providing smoking cessation services include unable to follow up, lack of counseling space, lack of educational materials, and lack of time.; Conclusions: Saudi Arabian community pharmacists actively offer smoking cessation services, which may reduce smoking-related health issues. It appears that pharmacists need to be empowered by team-based, systematic, comprehensive approaches to overcome barriers and enhance their confidence.

Objectives: Minor ailments are a significant burden on primary care services globally. In Saudi Arabia’s evolving healthcare landscape, pharmacists play a crucial informal role, but no coordinated national approach exists. Understanding pharmacists’ preparedness is thus vital to optimize successful integration. This study evaluated Saudi community pharmacists’ perceptions, barriers, and facilitators related to minor ailment services (MAS) for capacity-building strategies. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to July 2023. Data were collected from participants using a self-administered, anonymous questionnaire with 48 questions. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS v.27. Key findings: Of the 720 pharmacists invited to participate, 442 completed the questionnaire, yielding an overall response rate of 61.4% (442/720). Most pharmacists recognized the value of accessible self-care support using their skills (92.6%), but 26.9% feared misdiagnosis risks. Most (93.9%) emphasized prudent triage and history-taking, and yet 22.2% were ambivalent on referrals. Key barriers that were identified included the lack of patient information (71.5%), lack of reimbursement for MAS (61.8%), lack of a private/counseling area (59.5%), and lack of knowledge for minor ailment management (48.2%). Pharmacists who work in rural areas, work part-time, and have not attended any training or education programs also tend to display a more uncertain attitude toward delivering services for minor ailments. Conclusions: Pharmacists in Saudi Arabia can play a significant role in managing minor ailments, but the identified barriers must be addressed to integrate their services thoroughly. That can be done through comprehensive training, allocating resources, and establishing structured communication and referral pathways. This integration can improve healthcare accessibility, reduce costs, and better utilize pharmacists’ expertise for delivering patient care.

Objective: Despite considerable progress in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) remain major public health issues in Saudi Arabia. Pharmacists must possess adequate knowledge and professional attitudes towards HIV/AIDS in pharmacy practice. This study aimed to examine pharmacy students' level of HIV knowledge, their attitudes toward people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), and their risk perceptions when providing services to PLWHA. Methods: A escriptive cross-sectional survey tool was developed and administered to pharmacy students during their final academic year at Taibah University in Saudi Arabia. Descriptive and Pearson's Chi-Square Test or Fisher's Exact Test as appropriate, were performed to find the difference with a p-value of 0.05. Results: A total of 130 pharmacy students responded to the questionnaire (89.6% response rate). While descriptive results showed students' knowledge about HIV/AIDS was low (the mean knowledge score was 8.22 out of 15). Post-exposure prophylaxis was only known by 36.2% of pharmacy students, and the time it takes HIV to become AIDS was only known by 11.5%. More than half of the students (60.8%) did not realize that antivirals could not treat HIV/AIDS. Only 18.5% of students agreed they could counsel and treat HIV-positive people. A survey of pharmacy students found that 46.2% believed that they did not receive enough education on working with PLWHA in a safe and responsible manner, and 20% were unwilling to assist PLWHA. Among pharmacy students, 54.6% recommended HIV testing for healthcare professionals and 53.9% for patients before surgery. Conclusion: The study highlighted inadequate students’ knowledge, modest attitudes, and negative risk perceptions toward HIV/AIDS. Saudi Arabian educational institautions and health care planners should perform educational interventions to enhance HIV/AIDS understanding among healthcare students.

(1) Background: Women have become more influential and powerful; however, implicit bias continues to plague organizations when it comes to women in leadership positions. This study examines the implicit and explicit biases that favor men as leaders among Saudi Arabian primary healthcare professionals. (2) Methods: A secure, web-based survey was administered to primary healthcare professionals. The survey included questions about leadership as well as an Implicit Association Test (IAT) for implicit gender bias. (3) Results: Out of 690 eligible, 448 respondents completed the survey, representing a response rate of 65%. Male residents had a mean IAT score of 0.27 (SD 0.31) and females 0.12 (SD 0.29), both favoring males in leadership roles, and the difference was statistically significant. There was a significant association between gender and gender IAT. In the explicit bias, gender, education, gender of the current manager, and being manager were associated with the gender explicit bias. Explicit bias favoring males in leadership roles was associated with increased implicit bias favoring males in leadership roles. (4) Conclusions: This study found that explicit and implicit gender bias is present among primary healthcare professionals favoring men in leadership positions held by both men and women.

Prostate cancer patients frequently experience significant psychological distress, which can negatively impact treatment adherence and quality of life. However, research on psychological outcomes in Saudi Arabian prostate cancer patients remains limited. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and loneliness in this population and examine associated sociodemographic factors. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2023 and May 2024 among 433 Saudi men diagnosed with prostate cancer across various regions of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using validated screening tools: the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) for depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 (GAD-2) for anxiety, and the 3-item UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA-3) for loneliness. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to identify sociodemographic predictors of psychological distress. The study revealed high prevalence rates of depression (35.1%), anxiety (30.5%), and loneliness (31.9%). Depression demonstrated strong positive correlations with anxiety (r = 0.72, p < 0.01) and loneliness (r = 0.68, p < 0.01). Low income (< 5000 SAR) showed the strongest association with anxiety (OR = 2.71, 95% CI = 1.30–5.65, p < 0.01), followed by depression (OR = 2.66, 95% CI = 1.32, 5.34, p < 0.01), and loneliness (OR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.03, 4.27, p < 0.01). Being privately employed was significantly associated with higher anxiety (OR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.26–0.99, p < 0.04) and loneliness (OR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.27-1.00, p < 0.03). Saudi prostate cancer patients experience substantial psychological distress, particularly among socioeconomically vulnerable groups. These findings underscore the urgent need for routine psychological screening, culturally sensitive mental health interventions, and targeted policy reforms. Integrating psychosocial care into oncology services can enhance patient outcomes and inform national cancer care strategies in Saudi Arabia.

Background: In Saudi Arabia, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) establish a significant health challenge, with a high prevalence and substantial impact on mortality and disability burden. Evaluating the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAPs) of hospital pharmacy professionals towards CVDs prevention and management is crucial for effective healthcare strategies. Methods: A cross-sectional, multicenter study was conducted using a self-administered survey targeting hospital pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the Madinah region of Saudi Arabia. The survey assessed their KAPs towards CVDs prevention and management, incorporating demographic variables and perceived barriers. Results: Out of 177 contacted pharmacy professionals, 159 (89.8%) completed the survey. The study results revealed inadequate knowledge levels with an average score of 3.87 out of 7, indicating significant gaps in comprehending drug interactions, managing lipid levels, and addressing resistant hypertension. Attitudes were generally positive towards CVDs prevention. Practices in CVDs prevention were satisfactory but varied, with notable gaps in providing educational materials and collaboration with other healthcare professionals. Major barriers included time constraints, lack of private counseling areas, and low patient expectations regarding pharmacy professionals’ roles. Conclusion: The study has uncovered notable deficiencies in cardiovascular care, especially within the realm of hospital pharmacy professionals in Saudi Arabia’s Madinah region. This finding underscores the importance of implementing specialized educational initiatives and ongoing professional development programs for these healthcare workers. By focusing on these areas and overcoming the challenges identified, we can significantly improve the contribution of hospital pharmacy professionals in Saudi Arabia toward the prevention and management of cardiovascular diseases.