Pharmacist Intention to Provide Medication Therapy Management Services in Saudi Arabia: A Study Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour

Abstract

Medication therapy management (MTM) is provided by pharmacists and other healthcare providers, improves patient health status, and increases the collaboration of MTM providers with others. However, little is known about pharmacists’ intention to provide MTM services in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to predict the pharmacists’ willingness in this nation to commit to providing MTM services there. This study used a cross-sectional questionnaire based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). The survey was distributed to 149 pharmacists working in hospital and community pharmacies. It included items measuring pharmacist attitudes, intentions, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, knowledge about the provision of MTM services, and other sociodemographic and pharmacy practice-related items. The pharmacists had a positive attitude towards MTM services (mean = 6.15 ± 1.12) and strong intention (mean = 6.09 ± 1.15), highly perceived social pressure to provide those services (mean = 5.42 ± 1.03), strongly perceived control over providing those services (mean = 4.98 ± 1.05), and had good MTM knowledge (mean = 5.03 ± 1.00). Pharmacists who completed a pharmacy residency programme and had good knowledge of MTM services and a positive attitude towards them usually strongly intended to provide MTM services. Thus, encouraging pharmacists to complete pharmacy residency programmes and educating them about the importance and provision of MTM services will enhance their motivation to provide them.