Assessment of Community Pharmacists’ Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Toward Counseling Hypertensive Patients in the United Arab Emirates

<ns3:p>Background Hypertension remains inadequately controlled worldwide despite the availability of effective treatments and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Community pharmacists, due to their accessibility and expanding patient-centered roles, can play a vital part in its management through counseling and education. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of community pharmacists in the UAE regarding hypertension counseling and identify associated influencing factors. Methods A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted over six months using a validated, self-administered online questionnaire. Registered or licensed community pharmacists from all seven emirates of the UAE were recruited through non-probability convenience sampling. The survey link was distributed via WhatsApp, Email, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Informed consent was obtained electronically. Knowledge was assessed using six binary-coded items; attitude and practice were measured through nine items each on five-point Likert scales. Respondents scoring equal to or above the mean were classified as having “good knowledge,” “positive attitude,” and “good practice.” Data were analyzed using SPSS with descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, and linear regression. Statistical significance was set at <ns3:italic>p</ns3:italic> < 0.05. Results Among the 114 pharmacists included, 70% demonstrated good knowledge, 46% had a positive attitude, and 51% reported good counseling practices. Knowledge scores were significantly associated with employment type (<ns3:italic>p</ns3:italic> = 0.0305). Attitude scores showed significant associations with gender and level of education (<ns3:italic>p</ns3:italic> < 0.05). Practice scores were significantly related to the number of patients counseled per week (<ns3:italic>p</ns3:italic> = 0.0007). A significant positive correlation was found between attitude and practice scores (r = 0.2430, <ns3:italic>p</ns3:italic> = 0.0091). Conclusions While UAE community pharmacists showed good knowledge, there were notable gaps in attitude and practice related to hypertension counseling. Targeted interventions are warranted to optimize their role in improving hypertension management.</ns3:p>