Engaging Nigerian community pharmacists in public health programs: assessment of their knowledge, attitude and practice in Enugu metropolis

Abstract

ObjectivesThe Nigerian health sector battles with control of infectious diseases and emerging non-communicable diseases. Number of healthcare personnel involved in public health programs need to be boosted to contain the health challenges of the country. Therefore, it is important to assess whether community pharmacists in Nigeria could be engaged in the promotion and delivery of various public health interventions. This study aimed to assess level of knowledge, attitude and practice of public health by community pharmacists.MethodsThe cross sectional survey was carried out in Enugu metropolis. Questionnaire items were developed from expert literature. Percentage satisfactory knowledge and practice were obtained by determining the percentage of community pharmacists that were able to list more than 2 activities or that stated the correct answer. Attitude score represents the average score on the 5 point Likert scale for each item. Chi square and Fisher’s exact test were used to test for statistically significant difference in knowledge, attitude and practice of public health between different groups of community pharmacists.ResultsForty pharmacists participated in the survey. About one third of the participants had satisfactory knowledge of public health. With the exception of one item in attitude assessment, average item score ranged from ‘agreed’ to ‘strongly agreed’. Study participants scored below satisfactory on practice of public health. Knowledge, attitude and practice of public health were not influenced by years of practice, qualification and prior public health experience. Reported barriers to the practice of public health include inadequate funds, lack of time, lack of space, cooperation of clients, inadequate staff, government regulation, insufficient knowledge, and remuneration.ConclusionsLevel of knowledge and practice of public health by community pharmacists were not satisfactory although they had a positive attitude towards practice of public health. The findings highlight the importance of educational interventions targeted towards practicing community pharmacists to improve their knowledge level on public health issues. Providing incentives for public health services rendered could increase community pharmacists’ engagement in public health activities.

Roles of community pharmacists in improving oral health awareness in Plateau State, Northern Nigeria

“…Likewise, some CPs refuse to register their premises. Pharmacy practice overall in Nigeria is regulated by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), which also formulates the standards of practice in line with the changing roles of pharmacists.…”

Knowledge, attitudes and practice of final-year student pharmacists in public health in Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe: an exploratory survey

“…Findings from research in Malaysia, Qatar, the USA, and in this exploratory survey strengthen understanding of what student pharmacists want and understand in the field of public health. Understanding these perspectives is particularly important in the developing world because the role of pharmacists in these countries focuses more on tasks in dispensing and supply chain management, with little emphasis on primary prevention roles in public health . Establishing practice change towards public health activities may first require fundamental education in the definition, purpose and goals of the field .…”

“…[22,23] Establishing practice change towards public health activities may first require fundamental education in the definition, purpose and goals of the field. [23] Results from this study provide valuable insight on where to begin developing public healthoriented education in areas of the world where it has not been a focus in pharmacy practice.…”

Benefits and tensions in delivering public health in community pharmacies – a qualitative study of healthy living pharmacy staff champions

“…It provides an important insight into their views and working practices and complements other pharmacy assistant health promotion studies in Australia [15] and Scotland [16] in suggesting such staff have a valuable role. Such views have arguably been under-represented and there has been a tendency to focus on pharmacist perspectives in the public health pharmacy literature [1,4,5] and wider workforce literature. [17,18] This study consolidates several themes from other studies and adds to evidence that there is a perceived need to raise awareness of HLC and HLP much more amongst key stakeholders.…”

“…[1] In particular, the contribution of pharmacies to public health and well-being activities has been emphasised and there is evidence of the effectiveness of some community pharmacy based health promotion services such as coronary heart disease management and prevention and smoking cessation. [2,3] Studies have suggested that pharmacists support engaging more with public health-related roles, in the UK [1] and in countries such as Sudan [4] and Nigeria [5] although additional training needs have been identified. One relatively recent initiative has been the introduction of the Healthy Living Pharmacy (HLP) concept in the UK.…”