A Cross Sectional Observational Study to Assess Pharmacists Perspective and General Health Wellbeing During COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia
Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic impacted all countries negatively. Regulatory bodies in Saudi Arabia and worldwide set a firm policies and guidelines to protect their nationals and residents from the virus. Pharmacists play a major role in health care. This study aims to assess pharmacists prospective and general health wellbeing during COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. Methods: We conducted a cross sectional observational study using a quantitative survey-based methodology. Data was collected from May to July 2020. Results: We were able to enrol 381 pharmacists working in different practice settings as governmental hospitals, healthcare centers, private hospitals and community pharmacies. The acceptable knowledge level score is 13 (60%) that has been reached by about 37% of participants. Male and female had similar scores. Level of knowledge among regions was variable, southern region scored the least with a mean score of 12.89 ± 3.91 and eastern region scored the highest level with a mean score of 15.07 ± 2.86. There was a significant correlation between knowledge level, region of residency and level of experience. The maximum total awareness score was 7, the mean score was 5.18 ± 1.65. There was a statistically significant correlation between awareness level and the region of residency variable. The general health questions section included 9 questions. The minimum score was 9, the maximum was 36 and the mean score was 17.51 ± 7.34. The higher the score indicate the worsening of the general health. There is a strong correlation between gender, experience and the general health wellbeing. Men had better general health compared to women p<0.001 and participants with range of experience 6-10 years had a lower level of general health. Conclusion: COVID-19 still has a negative impact worldwide. Maintaining awareness and education is essential to keep the protective measures as possible. In addition, there is a need to address the impact of COVID-19 on pharmacist's mental health to act accordingly.