Evaluation of Pharmacists’ Confidence, Engagement, and Knowledge about Dietary Supplements in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Background: Dietary supplements (DS) are widely used, often without prescriptions, making community pharmacists key sources of guidance. In the UAE, DS use is growing due to cultural and health trends, but pharmacists’ knowledge, confidence, and involvement with DS vary, which may impact patient safety and counselling quality. Despite their important role, there’s limited research on how well UAE pharmacists are prepared to address DS-related questions, including effects, side effects, and interactions. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the confidence, involvement, and knowledge of community pharmacists in the UAE regarding dietary supplements. Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized a self-administered questionnaire designed to fulfil the study’s objectives. The questionnaire was divided into four sections: the first collected demographic information; the second assessed pharmacists’ confidence using a confidence scale; the third examined their engagement with dietary supplements (DS’s); and the fourth evaluated their knowledge of DS’s. A total of 333 practicing community pharmacists from across the UAE participated, with the sample size calculated using Raosoft software. A simple random sampling method was employed to ensure equal representation from all emirates. Results: A total of 333 responses were obtained. The average confidence of the respondents is found to be 9.961±3.53, indicating a significantly high confidence as the total confidence ranges from 0-15, with Cronbach’s alpha reaching 0.81. The total engagement score was found to be 3.96 ±1.2, overall reliability of questions according to Cronbach’s alpha is 0.48. The average knowledge of the respondents is 12.58 (0 to 21), indicating moderate knowledge of effects and interactions. the average of confidence and knowledge of pharmacists had no significant difference in terms of demographical variables such as age, academic degree, nationality, year of graduation, however, there was a statistically significant difference in terms of emirates’ knowledge (p<0.001). Conclusion: In conclusion, community pharmacists in the UAE demonstrate high confidence, positive engagement, and moderate overall knowledge regarding dietary supplements, but show limited understanding of their side effects and interactions. To address this gap, integrating reliable information sources into pharmacy computer systems is essential. Providing pharmacists with accurate and accessible information on dietary supplements is crucial for enhancing their ability to offer safe and informed guidance to patients.