Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
Patrick, O.K., Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria; Joshua, A.K., Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria; Oluwafunmi, A., Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
Objectives -To evaluate community pharmacists' involvement in the treatment of malaria in Nigeria. Method - A self-completed questionnaire, including 16 attitudinal statements was analysed using descriptive statistical analysis. Setting -The study group comprised pharmacists working in 612 registered community pharmacies in Nigeria. Key findings -The response rate was 92.7 per cent. Analysis using a 5-item variable on a 5-point scale with a critical value of 15 revealed that there was a little involvement (15.27±5.63) of community pharmacists in preventive services against malaria attack. Seventy-seven per cent of the respondents agreed to this. No appreciable impact (12.83±4.4) at p= 0.0312 was made by community pharmacists as observed by 46 per cent of the respondents in the area of pharmaceutical care and services to malaria patients. Using a 6-item variable on a 5-point scale with a critical value of 18, 80 per cent of the respondents agreed that notable impact on curative services (20.61±3.33) by community pharmacists to malaria patients was made. Conclusion-Community pharmacists are willing to participate in the management of disease conditions including malaria if they are exposed to more clinical training and provided that government amends the existing pharmacy practice laws to allow such.
