End-of-life care quality could dramatically improve if community pharmacists were better equipped to serve dying patients, yet a comprehensive assessment reveals concerning deficiencies in this critical healthcare role. The proximity and accessibility of community pharmacies positions these professionals as natural partners in palliative care, particularly for medication management and patient support during terminal illness.
A survey of 431 UAE community pharmacists exposed significant knowledge deficits, with participants scoring a median 4 out of 13 on basic palliative care concepts—meaning fewer than half could correctly answer fundamental questions about end-of-life medication management. Practice engagement proved equally limited: only 10% conducted home visits for terminally ill patients, while just 16% provided pain management counseling. The most common involvement was basic medication monitoring at 38%, suggesting pharmacists remain largely peripheral to comprehensive palliative care.
These findings illuminate a critical healthcare system gap that extends well beyond the UAE. As populations age globally, community pharmacists represent an untapped resource for palliative care delivery, offering medication expertise, accessibility, and continuity that hospital-based teams cannot match. However, the study reveals systemic barriers including inadequate training, unclear professional boundaries, and organizational constraints that prevent pharmacists from fulfilling this potential role. The disconnect between pharmacists' strategic positioning and actual palliative care involvement suggests that targeted education programs and clearer practice guidelines could unlock significant improvements in end-of-life care quality and accessibility for patients who need it most.