Knowledge, Practice and Barriers of Community Pharmacists Towards Asthma Management: A Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia

Introduction: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that impairs daily functioning and quality of life. Despite effective therapies, asthma control remains suboptimal and may improve through greater engagement of community pharmacists. This study assessed the knowledge, practices, and perceived barriers of community pharmacists regarding asthma management in the Aseer region, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered online questionnaire covering demographics, asthma-related knowledge, practice, and perceived barriers. Results: A total of 290 community pharmacists participated. Overall, 64.8% showed high asthma-related knowledge, while 51.7% reported high asthma counseling practice. Pharmacists showed strong knowledge of asthma symptoms, triggers, determinants of poor control, and counseling on medication-related adverse effects, but moderate knowledge of asthma control assessment, guideline-based management, and treatment-related side effects. Commonly reported services included patient education on asthma and medications, identification of modifiable risk factors, and discussion of treatment side effects, whereas written asthma action plans, symptom control assessment, and follow-up visits were less common. In multivariable logistic regression, high knowledge (p = 0.002), interest in asthma training (p < 0.001), and greater work experience (p = 0.01) were associated with higher counseling practice, while patient volume showed a borderline association (p = 0.051). Conversely, higher practice (p = 0.002), working in independent community pharmacies (p < 0.001), and pharmacy location (p = 0.034) were associated with higher asthma knowledge. Conclusions: Community pharmacists demonstrated moderate-to-high knowledge of asthma management, but gaps remain in guideline-based practice and follow-up. Strengthening guideline-oriented training and pharmacist integration into asthma care may improve outcomes.