ASSESSMENT OF THE KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND ROLES OF COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE PATIENTS IN BENIN CITY

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Substance abuse is a major public health problem all over the world. The use and abuse of drugs by adolescents have become one of the most disturbing health related phenomena in Nigeria and other parts of the world. The problem is prevalent among adolescents who in most cases are ignorant about the dangers inherent in drug abuse. Pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare professionals especially at the community level, thereby placing them are the forefront of the war against substance abuse in the society. OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out to assess the knowledge, attitudes and roles of community pharmacists in the management of substance abuse patients. METHODS: After obtaining ethical approval from the Faculty of Pharmacy Ethics Committee, a cross sectional study was employed. The study employed the use of a structured questionnaire as the major instrument of data collection. The questionnaire was carefully developed to address the objectives of the study and distributed to registered community pharmacists. The data obtained was analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for social sciences, SPSS version 29. RESULTS: From the study conducted, 151 (63.2%) of the respondents were males while 88 (36.8%) of the respondents were females. 125 (52.3%) of the respondents were within the ages of 20-29. 118 (49.3%) of the respondents indicated that substance abuse is a leading cause of health and social problems. 213 (73.2%) of the participants indicated that opioid agonists/antagonists is commonly prescribed for opioid dependence treatment. 195 (81.6%) of the respondents strongly agreed to advising suspected substance abusers (in written or verbal form) about the risk involved in substance abuse and help them with the problem associated with substance abuse. 187 (78.3%) of the respondents indicated that they are involved in the development of care plans for substance abuse patients. 171 (71.5%) of the respondents indicated that they are involved in substance abuse campaigns. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study revealed that majority of community pharmacists in Benin city had sufficient knowledge in the management of substance abuse patients. This study also showed that community pharmacists in Benin city had a positive attitude towards managing substance abuse patients. The study also revealed that community pharmacists in Benin city are involved in the development of care plans for substance abuse patients. KEYWORDS: Substance abuse, knowledge, attitude, roles, community pharmacists.