Exploring the current status of pharmacist prescribing in Middle Eastern Arab countries: a scoping review

The practice of prescribing by healthcare professionals other than physicians is called non-medical prescribing. Pharmacist prescribing (PP) is established in various countries and is expanding globally. In Middle Eastern Arab countries, there are significant developments in pharmacy education and practice with an expansion in the scope of practice; however, little is known about PP in these nations.

This scoping review aimed to explore the current status of PP in Middle Eastern Arab countries. The objectives were to identify countries reporting on proposed or developing PP initiatives and to describe pre-implementation planning, including reported qualifications, models of prescribing, and contributing barriers and facilitators.

A search was conducted for published studies using nine databases from inception to October 2024. Full texts of papers focusing on PP, conducted in Middle Eastern Arab countries, and written in English and Arabic were obtained. All eligible papers were uploaded into Covidence. Duplicate papers were removed, and titles and abstracts were independently screened by two reviewers. Full-text screening was conducted by two reviewers. Data were extracted into a charting table with the following characteristics: author, publication year, aim, study design, setting, country, model of prescribing, qualifications, facilitators, barriers, and study recommendations. Data were synthesised narratively in line with the review objectives.

In total, 202 papers were identified and following screening, 16 papers were included in this review. Most studies (n = 9) originated from Saudi Arabia, with others from Qatar (n = 5), Jordan (n = 1), and the United Arab Emirates (n = 1). The included studies were published between 2019 and 2024 in English. Most studies were conducted in hospital settings (n = 12), particularly within specialised clinics describing two prescribing models: collaborative and independent. The findings reflect inconsistency in reporting the qualifications required for prescribing. Facilitators were categorised into regulation, education/training, professional competence, interprofessional collaboration, infrastructure, awareness, and international collaboration. Barriers encompassed regulatory gaps, organisational deficiencies, professional limitations, interprofessional resistance, resource constraints, and limited evidence.

This review provides an overview of the current landscape of pharmacist prescribing in Middle Eastern Arab countries, key facilitators, and barriers. While the evidence base remains limited, findings suggest growing interest and early developments.