Intern pharmacists’ participation in internship training programs in southwest, Nigeria: Hospital intern pharmacists’ perspectives

Abstract

This study assessed the participation of intern pharmacists in different internship activities in the hospital. It assessed their knowledge, skill and attitude towards the internship training program (ITP) and also evaluated their satisfaction with the program in Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 135 interns from 22 accredited internship centers in Southwestern Nigeria. A semi-structured questionnaire on a 5- point Likert scale was administered to ascertain their participation in hospital pharmacy activities and assess training outcomes. Data were analyzed with both descriptive and inferential statistics, while p-value was set at 0.05. The most performed activity by 95.3% of the respondents was labeling and packaging of filled prescriptions [mean score/ standard deviation (SD) of 3.95+0.26 @ midpoint of 2], while the activities not provided for, in the facilities, were preparation of IV admixtures (45.7%, 1.02+1.205) and attending ward rounds (42.6%, 1.50+1.532). Clinical presentation was not allowed to be performed nor observed by 55.8% of the respondents (1.40+0.579). The training impacted mostly on the skill and attitude of the respondents with mean scores of 4.31+0.793 and 4.31+0.774 respectively, followed by knowledge gained (4.19+0.776). The training program met theexpectation of 54.3% of the respondents, while only 32.6% wished to stay back in hospital practice. The study concluded that participation was above average and training outcome measures were satisfactory. Incorporating clinical practice into hospital pharmacy practice and monitoring of interns to assess their performance will resolve existing challenges.