Although clinical pharmacy is in its infancy in Kuwait, it is well perceived and requested by physicians. Major barriers must be addressed and in this context, having a national framework for pharmacy practice from Ministry of Health, supported by cutting edge education and a pro-active professional association would be key assets to evolve the practice in Kuwait.

Background:Pharmacists can provide beneficial pharmaceutical care services to patients receiving Parenteral Nutrition (PN) therapy by working within Nutrition Support Teams (NSTs).Objective:This study was designed to explore pharmacists’ role in PN therapy in hospitals of Kuwait, sources of PN-related information, opinions on NSTs, perceptions about the barriers to pharmaceutical care implementation and views on how to enhance their practices.Methods:Data were collected via face-to-face semi-structured interviews with the senior Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) pharmacists at all the hospitals which provide TPN preparation services (six governmental hospitals and one private hospital) in Kuwait. Descriptive statistics were used to describe pharmacists’ demographic details and practice site characteristics. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.Results:The pharmacists mainly performed technical tasks such as TPN compounding with minimal role in providing direct patient care. They used multiple different sources of TPN-related information to guide their practice. They reported positive and negative experiences with physicians depending on their practice environment. None of the hospitals had a functional NST. However, pharmacists expressed preference to work within NSTs due to the potential benefits of enhanced communication and knowledge exchange among practitioners and to improve service. Pharmacists perceived several barriers to providing pharmaceutical care including lack of reliable sources of TPN-related information, lack of a standard operating procedure for TPN across hospitals, insufficient staff, time constraints and poor communication between TPN pharmacists. To overcome these barriers, they recommended fostering pharmacists’ education on TPN, establishing national standards for TPN practices, provision of pharmacy staff, development of NSTs, enhancing TPN pharmacists’ communication and conducting TPN-research research.Conclusion:TPN pharmacists in Kuwait are confined to performing TPN manufacturing processes. There are promising avenues for future development of their role in patient care. This can be achieved by overcoming the barriers to pharmaceutical care practice and providing pharmacists with educational opportunities to equip them with the clinical competencies needed to practise as nutrition support pharmacists with patient-centred roles.

To date, the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has infected more than 5 million people and caused around 350 000 deaths globally. In most countries, the world as we knew it came to a sudden stop and this led to the biggest shift of employees to remotely conduct their work. Academic institutions were extensively affected, as teaching and assessment activities were hampered, and graduation ceremonies were cancelled. In addition, there was an imminent disruption in academic and research activities including face-to-face conferences and conventions. Among many challenges, academics had to grapple to remain engaged professionally and socially with students and colleagues. Digital technology being an integral part of life has become essential for connectivity and communication. In this commentary, multidisciplinary academics from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia share perspectives and experiences in adapting to the COVID-19 reality. From healthcare sciences to engineering, and from business to education, this paper highlights the role academics play in combating professional and social challenges during COVID-19.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to measure pharmacists' attitudes toward management of diabetes, identify current levels of pharmacy service provided to patients with diabetes, and identify barriers for further provision of diabetes-related services. Subjects and Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 198 pharmacists working in primary and secondary health care settings in one health region of Kuwait using a pretested self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, correlations, and comparative analysis were performed. Results: The response rate was 84.4% (n = 168). Respondents had overall positive attitudes toward management of diabetes. Pharmacists regularly provided their patients with counseling on the appropriate time to administer their medications; however, services related to hypoglycemia and management of comorbid diseases were rarely provided. A negative correlation was found between the positive overall diabetes-related attitudes and pharmacists' involvement in providing the following diabetes-related services: glucose monitoring (r = -0.25, p = 0.001), comorbid disease management (r = -0.243, p = 0.001), and healthy living choices (r = -0.237, p = 0.002). The perception that some physicians and patients have of pharmacists as dispensers only was identified as the most important barrier to providing diabetes-related services. Conclusion: Pharmacists have positive diabetes-related attitudes; however, they provide limited diabetes-related services to their patients. Barriers to provision of pharmacy services to patients with diabetes should be addressed to enable optimum patient care delivery.

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