Cardiology pharmacy practice in Saudi Arabia: Historical evolution, current status, and future directions

Abstract

AbstractThe pharmacy practice in Saudi Arabia has improved over the past two decades. Cardiology pharmacy practice was among the pharmacy practice specialties that witnessed steady improvement. A number of cardiology residency programs have been introduced in recent years, which has led to this steady growth in cardiology pharmacy practice. The current model of cardiology pharmacy practice in major hospitals in Saudi Arabia matches the model used in the United States. Nevertheless, more studies illustrating the value of clinical pharmacists' work with cardiovascular disease management are needed in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases presents a unique opportunity for cardiovascular clinical pharmacists to illustrate and expand the role they play at the individual and population levels. Moreover, Saudi Arabian cardiology pharmacy practice models need to be described to explain their growing importance. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of cardiology pharmacy practices’ historical evolution and their current status. In addition, we highlighted some challenges that continue to exist despite the development of cardiology pharmacy research, training, and education. Lastly, we discussed several strategies for overcoming these challenges and expanding the integral role of cardiology clinical pharmacists in Saudi Arabia.