Neurodegenerative diseases require complex and multidisciplinary management, especially at the end of life. As patients transition to  terminal stages, medication management becomes increasingly challenging due to polypharmacy, symptom control, and ethical considerations surrounding treatment discontinuation. Community pharmacists, who maintain close and continuous contact with patients and caregivers, play an underrecognized role in such settings. Despite their accessibility and expertise in pharmacotherapy, their specific contribution to end-of-life care in neurodegenerative diseases remains poorly defined and inconsistently integrated into care pathways.

A total of 40 pharmacists responded to the survey. Most reported not always feeling comfortable dispensing prescriptions for patients in the terminal phase of neurodegenerative diseases (61.8%). The main difficulties identified were a lack of anticipatory planning (54.5%), insufficient time for communication and coordination (69.1%), and limited knowledge of available support systems (58.2%).

A majority highlighted deficits in interprofessional communication. Information regarding the initiation of home-based palliative care was most often provided by the caregiver (74.5%), even though pharmacists reported difficulties in communicating with caregivers in palliative and end-of-life situations.