Discriminatory Attitudes of Pharmacy Students and Pharmacists against People Living with HIV/AIDS

Purpose: To evaluate the level and predictors of discriminatory attitudes of pharmacy students and pharmacists towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).Methods: A cross-sectional survey of pharmacy students and pharmacists (n = 523) to assess discriminatory attitudes towards PLWHA was conducted using a self completed questionnaire. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted.Results: Pharmacists were more knowledgeable and had less negative perceptions than students towards PLWHA. Level of professional training (p < 0.0001), knowledge status (p < 0.0001) and five negative perception items, namely, (a) people who got HIV through sex deserve it (p = 0.003), (b) PLWHA would make their colleagues apprehensive (p < 0.0001), (c) PLWHA have poor hygiene (r = 0.082, p = 0.032), (d) PLWHA should feel ashamed of themselves (p < 0.0001), and (e) people who behave promiscuously should be blamed for AIDS (p = 0.031), were all significantly associated with higher discrimination. However, being a student and having negative perceptions such as “PLWHA should feel ashamed of themselves and “PLWHA would make their colleagues apprehensive” were independent predictors of discrimination.Conclusions: Discriminatory attitudes against PLWHA among pharmacy students and pharmacists who participated in this study were high and level of training and their perceptions were contributory.Keywords: Discrimination, HIV/AIDS, Pharmacists, Perception, Professionalism, Stigmatization

Effect of Occupational Factors on the Quality of Life of Workers in Governmental and Non-Governmental Sectors in Southeastern Nigeria

Purpose: To assess the effect of occupational factors on quality of life (QOL) of workers in Governmental and non-Governmental sectors in southeastern Nigeria.Methods: A total of 2025 workers (both governmental and non-governmental sectors) were selected from across five southeastern states of Nigeria by convenient sampling. The Medical Outcomes Survey Short Form-36 (SF-36) alongside twenty closed questions was administered to the two groups of respondents to assess their quality of life and determine other factors that affected their quality of life.Results: Having a job that is tasking (r = -0.209, p < 0.05) contributed significantly to low Physical Component Summary (PCS ) in non-governmental sector but having job that raises enough finances for one’s comfort (r = 0.228, p < 0.05) impacted positively on their PCS. Being overly stressed by the job (r = -0.225, p < 0.01) was the only factor that significantly impacted negatively on Mental Component Summary (MCS) of respondents in Governmental sector while having a job that exposes one to a lot of health risk (r = -0.269, p < 0.01, having a job that is tasking (r = -0.206, p < 0.05) and having the belief that there are spiritual forces responsible for the challenges one is facing (r = -0.249, p < 0.05) accounted for decrease in MCS of respondents in non-Governmental sector.Conclusion: Occupational factors had more negative impact on the quality of life of respondents in non-Governmental sector than their counterparts in Governmental sector of the economy.Keywords: Quality of life, Occupation, Governmental sector, Non-governmental sector, Nigerian workers, Medical outcomes survey

STUDENTS’ KNOWLEDGE AND RISK OF COMMITTING MEDICATION ERRORS IN TWO SCHOOLS OF PHARMACY IN NIGERIA

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge of prescription errors, the certainty of such knowledge, and the risk of committing medication errors among pharmacy students in two universities in Nigeria. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional comparative survey between pharmacy students of two universities in Nigeria: University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka. Study variables were measured using four simulated prescriptions and questionnaires. Chi-square test, independent t-test, and ordinal regression analyses were used to assess study outcomes. Results: A total of 339 pharmacy students (239 in UNN and 100 in NAU), with a mean age of 24 (2.8) years and 57.2% (n=194) male students, participated in this study. Their accurate knowledge of each of the prescriptions were 294 (86.72%), 166 (48.97%), 199 (58.70%), and 248 (73.16%) for prescriptions with error of drug allergy, error of drug interaction, no error, and wrong dose of a drug, respectively. Students from UNN were more likely to commit a statistically significant high risk of error compared to NAU students in prescriptions with a drug allergy and wrong dose, while students in the 4th year class had a statistically significant higher odds of committing a drug interaction prescription error compared to final year students. Conclusion: Pharmacy students evaluated in this study had good knowledge of medication error detection. The risk of these pharmacy students committing a prescription error was evident in nearly all prescriptions tested and the students’ school was the major predictor of these risks

Evaluation of Information Contained in Drug Advertisement and Promotion Materials in Nigeria

Purpose: To evaluate the physical characteristics (size, legibility or readability) and the completeness of information in drug package leaflets/inserts and drug promotional brochures in Nigeria.Methods: Three hundred materials (drug information leaflets and brochures) were collected from various community pharmacies, private and governmental clinics and from various pharmaceutical distributor or representatives from different states of Nigeria. Two independent panels sorted and evaluated the information found in them and differences were resolved by consensus.Results: This study revealed that 80.7 % of the materials evaluated were leaflets while brochures accounted for 18 %. The physical characteristics of the materials showed that 58.7, 31.3 and 89.0 % of the materials were sizeable, readable/legible and had adequate color contrast respectively. Most of the materials were written in English (78.7 %), English and French 17.3 %, English and Arabic accounted for only 4 %. Description of indications for which the drugs were used was mentioned in 30.3 % of materials. Other contents of the materials were mechanism of action (70.3 %), overdoses information (55.0 %), drug interaction (51.3 %), pharmacokinetics (36.3 %) and revision date of the information (21.0 %).Conclusion: This study reveals that advertising materials used in promoting drugs in Nigeria have incomplete information and the physical characteristics of the materials are not adequate. It seems that drug industries at present mainly aim at increasing sales rather than promoting health care. Information in some pharmaceutical brochures exaggerated the benefits of the drug and downplayed risks associated with the drugs.Keywords: Drug information, Drug leaflet, Drug promotion brochure, Nigeria, Advertizing material

Development and psychometric testing of an instrument to compare career choice influences and perceptions of nursing among healthcare students

Background: With the availability of more healthcare courses and an increased intake of nursing students, education institutions are facing challenges to attract school leavers to enter nursing courses. The comparison of career choice influences and perception of nursing among healthcare students can provide information for recruitment strategies. An instrument to compare the influences of healthcare career choice is lacking. The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of an instrument to compare the influences of healthcare career choice with perceptions of nursing as a career choice. Methods: The study was conducted in two phases. In phase one, two sets of scales with parallel items that measure the influences of healthcare career choice and perceptions of nursing as a career choice were developed through an earlier qualitative study, literature review, and expert validation. Phase two involved testing the construct validity, concurrent validity and reliability with a convenience sample of 283 first year healthcare students who were recruited at two education institutions in Singapore. Results: An exploratory factor analysis revealed 35-parallel items in a six-factor solution (personal interest, prior healthcare exposure, self-efficacy, perceived nature of work, job prospects, and social influences) that explained 59 and 64% of the variance for healthcare career choice and nursing as a career choice respectively. A high correlation (r = 0.76, p \u3c 0.001) was obtained with an existing tool, confirming the concurrent validity. The internal consistency was sufficient with Cronbach’s alpha of 0.93 for healthcare career choice and 0.94 for nursing as a career choice. The test-retest reliability was acceptable with an Intraclass Correlation Coefficient of 0.63 for healthcare career choice and 0.60 for nursing as a career choice. Conclusions: The instrument provides opportunities for understanding the differences between influences of healthcare career choice and perceptions of nursing as a career choice. This comparative understanding of career choice influences can guide educator and policy-makers on nursing recruitmen