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Abstract
The knowledge of health workers regarding their management of drugs is very important in ensuring good health. One of the major indices of the performance of primary health care (PHC) remains improved access to essential drugs as they are the link between patients and health services. Consequently, their availability or absence will contribute to a positive or negative impact on health. This was a quasi-experimental study, carried out in Anambra state, which compared the intervention and control groups following the training and provision of drug management tools to PHC workers in the intervention group. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 264 health workers from 132 health centers from two senatorial zones in the State, one acting as a control group and the other as an intervention group. Data was collected using a pre-tested in-depth interview guide and semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS at a statistical significance level of p value less than 0.05, while qualitative data was analyzed using N-Vivo. Several factors such as age, sex, educational qualification, cadre of staff, years of practice and PHC workers’ previous training were identified as affecting the knowledge and practice of drug management. The majority (72.0% and 71.2%) in intervention and control groups respectively said inadequate information or lack of knowledge was the main reason for poor practices while the proportion with low interest of health workers for drug management was (38.5%) for intervention and (59.8%) for the control group and the difference between the groups was statistically significant (p = 0.034). In conclusion, this study has shown that age, sex, educational qualification, cadre of staff, years of practice and PHC workers’ previous training were factors associated with health workers’ knowledge and practice of drug management. The study recommends the development of Aide Memoire and conduct of training and retraining on drug management to improve both knowledge and practice of drug management in PHCs in Nigeria.
Highlights
IntroductionThe availability of medicines contributes to the improved quality of pharmaceutical services
Drug management is a key component of pharmaceutical services
The majority (72.0% and 71.2%) in intervention and control groups respectively said inadequate information or lack of knowledge was the main reason for poor practices while the proportion with low interest of health workers for drug management was (38.5%) for intervention and (59.8%) for the control group and the difference between the groups was statistically significant (p = 0.034)
Summary
The availability of medicines contributes to the improved quality of pharmaceutical services. Drug management is the set of practices aimed at ensuring the timely availability and appropriate use of safe, effective, quality medicines and related products and services in any healthcare setting [1]. Efficient drug management is the key strategy in reducing the costs of drugs and ensuring their availability in healthcare facilities [2]. In a cross-sectional study by some authors in Tanzania to assess the knowledge of the practice of pharmaceutical management among health workers from nine hospitals, it was noted that six drug store managers had poor knowledge of quantification concept, seven did not apply drug store supply logistics system, and all nine of them had inadequate knowledge of the concept of procurement [4]. Corruption, lack of political will, unavailability of funds and lack of good storage conditions for drugs are some of the weaknesses to drug management [5]
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