What is it about?
Community pharmacists are often one of the most accessible healthcare professionals for children and their families. This study explored how well community pharmacists in the United Arab Emirates understand autism spectrum disorder (ASD), how they perceive the condition, and how prepared they feel to support children with ASD and their caregivers. A total of 322 licensed community pharmacists participated in the study. Overall, pharmacists demonstrated moderate knowledge of autism, but important gaps remained, particularly regarding medications, potential side effects, and some common misconceptions about ASD. Although many pharmacists felt comfortable dispensing medications used to manage symptoms associated with autism, fewer felt confident counseling parents about these medicines and their possible side effects. Pharmacists who had received previous autism-related education or training generally demonstrated better knowledge. The findings highlight an opportunity to strengthen autism-related education in pharmacy programs and continuing professional development so that community pharmacists can contribute more effectively to multidisciplinary care, medication safety, caregiver education, and long-term support for children with ASD.
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Why is it important?
Children with autism and their families often require continuous support from several healthcare professionals. Community pharmacists are particularly well positioned to contribute because they are highly accessible and frequently interact with patients and caregivers when medicines are dispensed. Our study shows that while community pharmacists in the UAE have a reasonable baseline understanding of autism, there is still a gap between general awareness and confidence in providing clinical support. Only about half of the participating pharmacists reported feeling confident counseling parents about medications and their potential side effects. Importantly, pharmacists who had received autism-related education during their pharmacy training were considerably more likely to demonstrate higher knowledge. These findings provide practical evidence supporting the inclusion of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders in pharmacy curricula and continuing professional education. Strengthening pharmacists' knowledge and communication skills could improve medication counseling, adverse-effect monitoring, caregiver support, and collaboration between community pharmacies and specialist healthcare teams.
Perspectives
As a clinical pharmacist and bioethicist with a particular interest in neuropsychiatry, I found this research especially meaningful because autism care sits at the intersection of clinical practice, communication, ethics, and long-term patient and family support. For me, one of the most important messages from this study is that pharmacists can contribute far beyond medication dispensing. Their role can include monitoring treatment safety, identifying potential medication-related problems, supporting caregivers, correcting misconceptions, and helping families navigate complex therapeutic decisions. From a bioethical perspective, caring for children with autism also requires sensitivity to autonomy, dignity, informed decision-making, stigma, and the needs of both the child and their caregivers. These considerations are especially important in neuropsychiatric care, where communication and individualized treatment approaches can strongly influence the quality of care. I hope this research contributes to greater integration of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric topics into pharmacy education and continuing professional development, while encouraging pharmacists to take a more active role within multidisciplinary care teams supporting children with autism and their families.
Dr. Hisham E. Hasan
Jordan University of Science and Technology
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of community pharmacists regarding the care of children with autism spectrum disorder: a cross-sectional study in the United Arab Emirates, BMC Public Health, June 2026, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-026-27935-8.
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