title: A survey of psychiatrists' expectations of clinical pharmacists in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure psychiatrists' experience and their expectations of the role of clinical pharmacists in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  
  
  METHODS
  The psychiatrists' experience and their expectations were collected using a 4-part self-completed questionnaire: (a) demographic information, (b) psychiatrists' current expectations of the roles of pharmacists, (c) psychiatrists' actual experience with pharmacists, and (d) psychiatrists' future expectations of pharmacists' roles. Each part included a set of statements for which respondents were asked to indicate their level of agreement using a 5-point Likert scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 102 questionnaires delivered to the Department of Psychiatry at 7 hospitals, 77 were returned, representing a response rate of 75%. 59 (77%) psychiatrists expected pharmacists to take personal responsibility for resolving any drug-related problems; 62 (81%) expected them to maintain a complete medication profile, and 58 (75%) expected them to educate patients about the safety and appropriate use of their medication. From their current experience with pharmacists, respondents indicated that pharmacists routinely counsel patients (33, 43%), inform them about the most cost-effective alternative (37, 48%), and discuss with them the therapeutic value of the drugs (37, 48%). 49 (63%) of respondents agreed that in the future, pharmacists should routinely adjust the drug therapy for patients under protocol approved by the physician, and 51 (66%) felt that pharmacists should share legal responsibility for clinical outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Psychiatrists in Riyadh had great expectations of clinical pharmacists to take personal responsibility for resolving drug-related problems they discovered and to assist in designing drug therapy treatment plans. The psychiatrists' current experience with pharmacists did not, in some cases, meet their expectations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. salageel@ksu.edu.sa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al-Aqeel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Al-Sabhan
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Al-Jumah
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D010595:Pharmacists; D024382:Professional Role; D011570:Psychiatry; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires