National Survey of the Pharmacokinetics Services at Ministry of Health Hospitals in Saudi Arabia: Drug Therapy Monitoring and Healthcare Professional Education

Clinical pharmacists play a vital role in expanding prescription management through improved patient care and enhanced safety. This study aimed to explore the pharmacokinetics (PK) services provided at Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals in Saudi Arabia, with emphasis on drug therapy monitoring and patient education. A two-month national cross-sectional survey was conducted across MOH hospitals, consisting of demographic questions and 43 structured items derived from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) guidelines and relevant literature. A 5-point Likert scale was used, and the questionnaire was distributed electronically to coordinators of clinical pharmacy services and drug information centres. A total of 43 hospital pharmacies responded (response rate: 86%). The most frequently documented PK services included drug quality reporting (87.2%), drug information inquiries (83.3%), adverse drug reaction reporting (81.4%), and medication error reporting (81.4%). The highest perceived clinical impact and cost avoidance were associated with drug information inquiries (61.0%), drug quality reporting (53.9%), and pharmacist interventions (52.5%). Monthly workload analysis showed that drug information inquiries (70.0%) and prescription reviews (64.1%) were the most common activities. Education and training in PK services for pharmacists were available in only 20.9% of hospitals, most commonly as short courses (39.5%) or long training programmes (21.1%), while education for other healthcare providers was reported in just 15.7% of hospitals. Overall, PK services related to drug therapy monitoring remain underdeveloped in nearly half of MOH hospitals, with limited education and training opportunities. A structured national strategy focusing on PK-based drug therapy monitoring, education, and training is required to strengthen pharmacokinetics services across MOH hospitals in Saudi Arabia.