Toward pharmacy-based smoking cessation services in Nigeria: Knowledge, perception and practice of community pharmacists

Knowledge, attitude and perception of community pharmacists towards pharmacogenomics services in northern Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

Objectives

To evaluate knowledge, attitude and perception of community pharmacists towards pharmacogenomics services.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among community pharmacists in two cities in Northern Nigeria using a self-administered, validated and pre-tested questionnaire. The data were collected from December 2021 to February 2022 and were analysed using both descriptive and inferential analyses.

Results

A total of 161 completed questionnaires were included in this study (response rate was 61.9%). Most of the respondents were males (59.0%). Only 25.5% had previous pharmacogenomics training but 90.1% indicated an interest in attending pharmacogenomics training in the future. Overall, respondents had moderate knowledge of pharmacogenomics with higher knowledge score found among those who had previous pharmacogenomics training (11.9 ± 1.7 vs 10.5 ± 2.4; p = 0.001), and those with postgraduate qualification (11.7 ± 1.9 vs 10.7 ± 2.3; p = 0.028). The mean attitude score was 6.8 ± 2.0 out of 10.0 indicating a good attitude towards pharmacogenomics services. Those with previous training (8.1 ± 1.7 vs 6.2 ± 1.9; p < 0.001) and those with postgraduate qualification (7.2 ± 2.3 vs 6.6 ± 1.9; p = 0.042) had better attitude towards pharmacogenomics services. The median perception score was 34.0 out of 45.0, indicating a positive perception towards pharmacogenomics. There was a better perception among those with previous pharmacogenomics training (40.0 [21–45] vs 34.0 [0–45]; p = 0.002) and those with postgraduate qualifications (39.0 [0–45] vs 34.0 [21–45]; p = 0.010). Barriers to the implementation of pharmacogenomics included lack of knowledge (89.4%), lack of guidelines (87.5%) and lack of reimbursement (81.4%).

Conclusion

Community pharmacists have a moderate knowledge, a good attitude and a positive perception towards pharmacogenomics services. Those with previous pharmacogenomics training and those with postgraduate qualifications had better knowledge, attitude and perception towards pharmacogenomics services. Lack of knowledge, lack of guidelines and lack of reimbursement were the major barriers to the implementation of pharmacogenomics services in community pharmacies in Nigeria. Pharmacogenomics should be included in pharmacy training curricula to prepare pharmacists for the provision of pharmacogenomics services. Development of local guidelines and a robust reimbursement plan for pharmacogenomics services is recommended.

Towards improving community pharmacy-based mental health services in Nigeria

In Nigeria, there is a prevalence of aversive life circumstances that frequently assail the mental health and well-being of the citizens, mitigating the impact of which necessitates the institution of psychotherapy and other mental health care methods. These responsibilities, however, appear to be much more for pharmacists in low-resource settings where they are the most accessible healthcare professional. Some of these responsibilities include patient confidentiality as well as counseling patients on medication use, lifestyle as well as other personal matters that may arise in relation to their health. Mental health services including psychotherapy provide a range of therapeutic techniques that enable the patients (individual or groups) to develop effective coping strategies towards emotional and psychological difficulties, via methodic interactions with a mental health expert. In this commentary, we share suggestions on how to improve community pharmacy-based mental health services in Nigeria. With the expanding roles and responsibility for pharmacists beyond medication-related concerns comes the challenge of matching up the training of pharmacists with the broadening scope of practice in Nigeria. However, as pertinent as that might be, there are existing knowledge and competency gaps in keeping up with this trend. To correct these shortfalls, we contend that the training curricula for pharmacists in Nigeria be reviewed and/or expanded to provide adequate knowledge for pharmacy undergraduates and pharmacists about non-drug mental health care which will also impact psychotherapy services during their practice especially in the community settings.