Awareness of pharmacogenomic capabilities among physicians and pharmacists in Saudi Arabia within current clinical practice

Abstract Introduction Pharmacogenomics (PGx), a growing field that links genetic variations to drug responses, holds great promise for personalised medicine in Saudi Arabia but faces challenges in clinical integration. This study aims to gain a better perspective on physicians’ and pharmacists’ awareness of PGx capabilities in Saudi Arabia. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted among physicians and pharmacists in Saudi Arabia over a six-month period from 1 October 2024 to 30 March 2025. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the participants’ characteristics, and categorical variables were reported as frequencies and percentages. Chi-square tests were used to test the relationships among the variables. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results A total of 272 participants were included in the study, with the Central Region contributing the highest share (26.4%). Most participants were aged 30–49 years (63%), and the gender distribution was nearly equal (females 54.0%). Over half worked in the government sector (54.4%), and occupations were almost evenly split between physicians (53.3%) and pharmacists (46.7%). Most participants showed good awareness of PGx (73.5%), while 72 participants (26.5%) reported having a poor level of awareness. There was a statistically significant difference in awareness levels by gender, with 69.6% of males and 76.9% of females reporting good awareness of PGx (p = 0.049). Conclusion The study highlights strong awareness of PGx among Saudi healthcare professionals, likely reflecting conceptual familiarity rather than clinical competence, highlighting the need for structured education and policy support to enable effective implementation.