Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant public health concern, primarily affecting older adults and individuals with comorbidities such as diabetes and hypertension. The presence of multiple comorbidities often leads to polypharmacy, thereby increasing the risk of complex drug-drug and drug-disease interactions. Pharmacists play a pivotal role in minimizing these risks and ensuring safe and appropriate therapy and care for patients with CKD. This study aimed to evaluate hospital and community pharmacists’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding CKD and identify the perceived barriers to CKD care. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2023 to January 2024 in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan. Hospital and community pharmacists were recruited via non-probability convenience and snowball sampling. A self-administered exploratory, context-specific questionnaire was used to collect data from 406 participants. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.0, employing both descriptive and inferential statistics, including Spearman correlation and logistic regression. Of the 432 respondents, 26 were excluded due to incomplete data, resulting in a valid response rate of 93.9% (406). Slightly more than half of the respondents were female (51.5%), nearly half were aged 22–30 years (48.0%), and the majority had 1–5 years of experience (68.7%). Median KAP scores were: knowledge 12 (IQR10-14), attitude 34 (IQR 31–37), and practice 24 (IQR 21–26). Good knowledge, positive attitude, and good practice were observed in (57.4%), (53.0%), and (50.2%) of respondents, respectively. Regarding barriers, limited follow-up after consultation (50.0%) and lack of awareness among patients/community (45.8%) were the most frequently reported. Significant positive correlations were found between knowledge and attitude (r = 0.207), knowledge and practice (r = 0.237), and attitude and practice (r = 0.472) (all p < 0.001). Binary logistic regression revealed that training predicted higher knowledge, while practice location and seminar participation predicted positive attitude and good practice (all p < 0.05). Gaps exist in pharmacists’ CKD-related KAP, highlighting the need for targeted education and training programs. Strengthening pharmacy curricula and providing ongoing professional development are crucial to enhancing pharmacists’ clinical competencies and improving care for CKD.
Hamza et al. (Tue,) studied this question.