Evaluating Clinical Pharmacy Services in Ministry of Health Hospitals in Al-Baha Region of Saudi Arabia, a Three-Year Retrospective Analysis

Background: Clinical pharmacists play a crucial role in identifying and resolving drug-related problems (DRPs) in hospitals. However, there is limited empirical evidence concerning their effect on service organizations in smaller regional facilities in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A retrospective serial cross-sectional study was conducted using three years of administrative data (2023–2025) from two public hospitals in the Al-Baha region. A total of 1812 different database records were identified after full-scale data cleaning, validation, and deduplication. The statistical framework included chi-square test of independence, pairwise two-proportions Z-test, three multivariate binary logistic regression models, Cramer’s V association analysis, and Ward’s hierarchical cluster modeling. Results: Active intervention rates significantly increased from 48.9% in 2023 to 72.4% in 2024 (z = −8.58, p < 0.001), stabilizing at 69.6% throughout 2025 (p < 0.001 versus the 2023 baseline), because 2023 data came from a different source system than 2024 to 2025 data, this pattern is reported descriptively rather as a programmatic integration. The most frequent clinical actions addressed therapy optimization (28.4%), inappropriate dosage regimens (23.6%), and missing drug orders (18.8%). Most entries recorded were for adult intensive care units (ICUs) (74.1%), and most involved patients aged 65 years or older (61.1% of records). ICU setting was independently associated with the intervention being classified as therapy optimization (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.64, p < 0.001), but it was an inverse predictor of dosage-error tracking (OR 0.30, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This is among the first serial cross-sectional studies to build an evidence-based framework describing clinical pharmacy practices in the Al-Baha region, showing pharmacists’ roles and prioritizing advanced clinical training programs, reinforcing the need for critical analysis of health cluster policies across peripheral Saudi networks.

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Journal
Healthcare
Published
2026-08-24
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14172689
Primary Topic
Pharmaceutical Practices and Patient Outcomes
Type
article
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article

Evaluating Clinical Pharmacy Services in Ministry of Health Hospitals in Al-Baha Region of Saudi Arabia, a Three-Year Retrospective Analysis

Saleh Alghamdi
Healthcare
Pharmaceutical Practices and Patient Outcomes
article

Evaluating Clinical Pharmacy Services in Ministry of Health Hospitals in Al-Baha Region of Saudi Arabia, a Three-Year Retrospective Analysis

Saleh Alghamdi
article en

Abstract

Background: Clinical pharmacists play a crucial role in identifying and resolving drug-related problems (DRPs) in hospitals. However, there is limited empirical evidence concerning their effect on service organizations in smaller regional facilities in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A retrospective serial cross-sectional study was conducted using three years of administrative data (2023–2025) from two public hospitals in the Al-Baha region. A total of 1812 different database records were identified after full-scale data cleaning, validation, and deduplication. The statistical framework included chi-square test of independence, pairwise two-proportions Z-test, three multivariate binary logistic regression models, Cramer’s V association analysis, and Ward’s hierarchical cluster modeling. Results: Active intervention rates significantly increased from 48.9% in 2023 to 72.4% in 2024 (z = −8.58, p < 0.001), stabilizing at 69.6% throughout 2025 (p < 0.001 versus the 2023 baseline), because 2023 data came from a different source system than 2024 to 2025 data, this pattern is reported descriptively rather as a programmatic integration. The most frequent clinical actions addressed therapy optimization (28.4%), inappropriate dosage regimens (23.6%), and missing drug orders (18.8%). Most entries recorded were for adult intensive care units (ICUs) (74.1%), and most involved patients aged 65 years or older (61.1% of records). ICU setting was independently associated with the intervention being classified as therapy optimization (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.64, p < 0.001), but it was an inverse predictor of dosage-error tracking (OR 0.30, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This is among the first serial cross-sectional studies to build an evidence-based framework describing clinical pharmacy practices in the Al-Baha region, showing pharmacists’ roles and prioritizing advanced clinical training programs, reinforcing the need for critical analysis of health cluster policies across peripheral Saudi networks.

HealthcareVol. 14(17)
Al Baha University (SA)
Openalex Percentile: Top 13%
Pharmaceutical Practices and Patient Outcomes
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