A stakeholders' perspective on enhancing community pharmacists' roles in controlling non-communicable diseases in the United Arab Emirates.

Abstract

There is a global call for upscaling and optimising the role of community pharmacists (CPs) in the control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where NCDs are classified as a public health pandemic, upscaling CPs contributions has become more critical. Several contextual, professional, and educational challenges constrain the role of CPs. To synthesise the perspectives of key stakeholders in the UAE healthcare system and propose a roadmap for advancing the role of CP s in controlling NCDs in the UAE. This research followed a qualitative design using the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) framework for quality assurance of pharmacy profession development. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 28 experts and senior leaders, then analysed using the thematic analysis technique with the assistance of NVivo software. The analysis yielded three main themes that outlined the prospective roadmap: education, work environment, and policy. Some of the generated subthemes were establishing accredited NCD-specialised programmes, building a national framework for interprofessional education and collaboration, and upscaling the engagement of CPs in public health platforms and initiatives. Improving the role of CPs in controlling the NCD pandemic in the UAE requires coherent and well-structured multidisciplinary endeavours from health policymakers, educational institutions, and all groups of healthcare professionals, including the CPs themselves.