Pharmaceutical Care Adoption in Community Pharmacies: Cross-Sectional Study Assessment of Challenges and Opportunities, Wad-Madani, Sudan

Background: Community pharmacies (CPs) in Sudan are accessible and cost-effective points of healthcare. However, Pharmaceutical Care Services (PhCS) has not been widely adopted. So far, adoption depends critically on resolving challenges and effectively utilizing the available opportunities. Objective: To assess the challenges and opportunities for pharmaceutical care adoption in private community pharmacies(CPhs), Wad-Madani, Gezira State, Sudan. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2019 to August 2020, involving 120 community pharmacists. A pre-tested, self-administered, structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version 26) was used for the analysis of categorical data variables. The p-value (α = 0.05) is the cutoff point for determining the significance of the results. Results: The response rate among participants was 87.1%. The demographic characteristics showed younger age dominance (82.5% aged ≤ 40), with 63.3% females, less experience (< 20 years, 92.5%), and most holding a B.Pharm degree (91.7%). Over half of pharmacists (52.5%) engaged in multitasking roles, including dispensing, counseling, handling money, and managerial activities, often without a separate counseling area. Awareness regarding PhCS was high (81%). However, the main barriers included 40% as insufficient continuous professional development (CPD) and 31.7% due to public perceptions. In comparison, the top supporting factor was the presence of organized staff members (55.8%). Pharmacists prioritized CPD (61.7%) as a means of supporting PhCS adoption. Overall, the observed difference between pharmacy groups was statistically insignificant for all variables (X² and Fisher's Exact test, p-values > 0.05), indicating uniformity among community pharmacists. Conclusions: The demographic profile presents both opportunities and challenges. High awareness suggests rich ground for interventions. Interestingly, systemic barriers and discouraging factors can be overcome through coordinated strategies that involve education reform, regulatory frameworks, infrastructure design, and workforce planning. Results are essential for transforming community pharmacy practice into effective models of pharmaceutical care services.