Attitude of Other Healthcare Professionals about Pharmaceutical Care in Nigerian Hospitals

Abstract

Integration and collaboration among healthcare professionals are emerging global strategies towards achieving effective utilization of skills and expertise of healthcare professionals and optimal healthcare delivery. Awareness and attitude are critical factors for actualization of these strategies. To study the awareness and attitude of other healthcare professionals about pharmaceutical care practice in Nigerian hospitals. A survey of hospital-based healthcare professionals working in three large hospitals in Nigeria was done in 2008 using a 19-item structured questionnaire instrument after due ethical approval. The self-administered questionnaire was pre-tested in some of the respondents who were excluded from the research population. Included in the questionnaire were questions related to familiarity of the respondents with the pharmaceutical care concept, their attitude towards its practice and their attitude towards pharmacists’ participation in multidisciplinary ward rounds in their respective hospitals. The data obtained were analyzed with version 11 of the SPSS software. Of the 145 copies of the questionnaires administered 123 were returned as validly completed, (response rate was 85%). Most of the respondents, 118, (96%) were familiar with pharmaceutical care concept: 104, (85%) of them were aware that pharmaceutical care was being delivered in their hospitals. Most of them, 107, (87%) believed that pharmaceutical care was relevant to patients care and highly commendable; 12, (10%) believed it concerned only pharmacists. Two 2, (2%) and one (1%) of the respondents respectively believed it was time wasting and unnecessary. About half of them, 60 (49%) do not think pharmacists should be part of the multidisciplinary ward rounds in their hospitals; only 21, (17%) of them supported pharmacists’ participation while 42, (34%) were undecided. The healthcare professionals in this study were familiar with pharmaceutical care practice and they recognized its benefits to patients. They however showed low level of support for pharmacists’ involvement in multidisciplinary ward rounds.

Keywords: Attitude, Health care professionals, pharmaceutical care, hospitals

Nigerian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, Vol. 9 No 1 pp. 92 – 100 (February 2011)