Knowledge of Pharmacists about Diabetes Mellitus

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge among pharmacists towards DM diagnosis and management. Methods: This was a comparative study that was carried out in the diabetic clinic in a governmental hospital at King Saud Hospital, Unaizah City, in Saudi Arabia, for eight months, starting from June 2015. The study consists of three phases 1) a pre-test survey for the pharmacist regarding their knowledge on diabetes by using the Michigan Diabetes Knowledge Test (MDKT); 2) a training program that delivered for five consecutive days; 3) a post-test survey consisting the same component used for pre-test component but was implied to check any improvement achieved after the training program. Findings: Out of 15 pharmacists taking care of diabetic patients, nine pharmacists who work at the out-patients clinic were randomly selected to participate in this study. The impact of the training program on the outpatients' pharmacists' knowledge was investigated before and after the training. The knowledge of the pharmacist significantly improved after the training. Pharmacists' knowledge about T2DM has mean pre-score of 17.22, mean post-score of 20.78, and mean difference of -3.556 (P=0.005). Conclusion: The training program on pharmacists contributed to an improvement in the pharmacists' knowledge, furthermore, enhanced their communication with the patient about T2DM. Pharmacists in all settings have a positive role in the health management process.