Knowledge of students in the ultimate year of undergraduate pharmacy school about basic pediatric pharmacy.
Ufuoma S. Ahwinahwi, Ogheneovo C. Aghoja, John E. Arute, Oghare Okorodudu
Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, Faculty of Pharmacy, Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria
Corresponding author: Ufuoma S. Ahwinahwi
Email: ushaloma@yahoo.com, Phone: +234 808 4867230
ABSTRACT
Background: Drug use in children is more challenging than in the adult population because of associated difference in drug handling.
Objectives: This study assessed the level of knowledge and competency of pharmacy students in the ultimate year on basic pediatric pharmacy as well as the impact of an educational intervention.
Methods: Baseline self-reported knowledge and competence of respondents on pediatric pharmacy was assessed with a questionnaire. An educational training was administered by a pharmacist who is a faculty member; thereafter knowledge and competence of the participants were re-assessed to determine the effect of the training.
Results: All the respondents were familiar with “Pediatrics”, 40 (65.6%) learnt the term before getting admitted to study pharmacy while 21 (34.4%) got to know it during the course of their study. Thirty-four (56%) respondents were affirmative in responding to whether they had taken courses in pediatric dosing. Only 7 (11.5%) had poor knowledge of pediatric pharmacy while 57 (93.4%) had poor competency in handling issues relating to drug dosing and administration. Fifty-four (88.5%) respondents opined to addition of more pediatric-based courses in their curriculum. The mean scores in three of ten knowledge questions and in 5 of 6 competency questions were significantly improved post-intervention with values ranging between P <0.001 and P=0.047.
Conclusion: Pharmacy students in the ultimate year in a Nigerian university had appreciable basic knowledge in pediatric pharmacy but competency in handling dosing and drug administration issues in pediatric patients was poor. A training on basics of drug use in the pediatric population improved knowledge fairly and competency scores significantly.
Keywords: knowledge, pediatric, pharmacy, students