Nutrition support in UK pharmacy practice: current practices and future needs

Abstract

Abstract Objective: To examine pharmacy professionals’ involvement in nutrition care, including the nutrition advice and services they provide, perceived barriers and facilitators, and resource needs for integrating nutrition into pharmacy practice. Design: Mixed-methods cross-sectional survey comprising quantitative items on knowledge, attitudes and practices, and open-ended questions analysed thematically. Setting: Online survey administered via Qualtrics. Participants: UK-based pharmacy professionals aged ≥18 years (N 220). Results: Nutrition advice was most frequently provided for diabetes (68·4 %), CVD risk factors (64·1 %), dietary supplements (49·3 %) and weight management (48·3 %). Knowledge was strongest for food–drug interactions and supplements, but weakest for sustainable diets and national dietary guidelines. Higher perceived knowledge was significantly associated with providing advice on diabetes, obesity, CVD and malnutrition (all p < 0·05). Nutritional assessment practices were limited: 67·7 % of participants did not conduct nutritional screening and 70·2 % did not perform dietary assessments. Overall, 65·3 % reported that nutrition training is essential. Key barriers included limited education, practical resources, unclear referral pathways and challenges initiating nutrition conversations, while respondents highlighted strong needs for practice-specific tools and collaboration with dietitians. Conclusions: Pharmacists commonly provide nutrition support for key non-communicable disease areas, yet provision remains inconsistent. Persistent gaps in knowledge, training and practical resources, combined with unclear referral pathways, limit their capacity to deliver nutrition care. Strengthening nutrition education, developing pharmacy-focused resources and enhancing interprofessional collaboration could enable more effective, integrated nutrition support in primary care.