DEPARTMENT OF CLINICAL PHARMACY AND PHARMACY PRACTICE

Background:
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is a major public health concern associated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Healthcare providers play a crucial role in early detection, management, and education regarding GDM, yet their knowledge and practices remain inconsistent in many low- and middle-income settings.
Objective:
This study assessed the knowledge, perception, and practice related to GDM among healthcare providers in primary healthcare facilities in Egor and Ovia North-East Local Government Areas,Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.
Methods:
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 176 healthcare providers selected from 25 primary health facilities using a structured, self-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the Statisticundergraal Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Associations
between knowledge and demographic variables were tested using Fisher’s Exact Test and Chi- square analysis at a significance level ofp < 0.05. The reliability ofthe knowledge scale was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha.
Results:
Most respondents were female (84.1%) and nurses or midwives (43.8%). About 78.4% had heard ofGDM, and 50.6% reported receiving formal training on it. The overall knowledge level was fair, with 52.8% scoring in the “fair knowledge” range, 37.5% poor, and 9.7% good. Years ofprofessional experience showed a significant association with GDM knowledge (p = 0.045). Significant relationships were also observed between GDM knowledge and variables such as prior training (p = 0.020) and location ofscreening practices (p = 0.037). Cronbach’s alpha of 0.744 indicated good internal consistency ofthe questionnaire.
Conclusion:
Healthcare providers demonstrated moderate awareness and fair knowledge ofGDM, influenced significantly by years ofexperience and prior training. Continuous professional education and standardized screening protocols are recommended to improve GDM management practices and ultimately enhance maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Keywords:
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, Knowledge, Perception, Practice, Healthcare Providers, Primary Health Care in Nigeria.

Background of Study:
Recently, financial mental health has garnered increasing attention from researchers, although practitioners have long been aware of clients whose financial issues affect their cognitive, emotional, and relational well-being. The latest studies in financial mental health have focused on financial disorders and money scripts (Klontz et al., 2012; Klontz et al., 2011; Klontz et al., 2016). Identified financial disorders include: a) financial enabling, b) compulsive buying disorder, c) compulsive hoarding, d) pathological gambling, e) workaholism, f) financial dependence, g) financial infidelity, and h) financial enmeshment (Klontz et al., 2016; Klontz et al., 2011). Financial stress and anxiety are also considered integral aspects of financial mental health. Financial anxiety can be described as the subjective experience of stress and worried thoughts related to one's financial situation. Studies indicate that financial anxiety is distinct from general anxiety, with a correlation of about 0.40 (Shapiro and Burchell, 2012). Additionally, financial anxiety can hinder a person's ability to make effective financial decisions (Ali et al., 2020), decrease the likelihood of seeking financial advice (Gerrans and Hershey, 2017), and adversely affect overall mental health (Greene et al., 2016). Therefore, identifying and understanding the predictors of financial anxiety is considered important. The prevalence of financial anxiety among students is well-documented. Many students struggle with the costs of tuition, living expenses, and student loans (though this is not common in Nigeria). These financial pressures are compounded by the need to balance part-time work with academic responsibilities, exacerbating feelings of stress and anxiety. Pharmacy students, in particular, may experience higher levels of financial anxiety due to the demanding nature of their programs and the associated costs. The implications of financial anxiety therefore extend beyond financial decision-making, impacting overall mental health. Chronic financial stress can lead to conditions such as depression and anxiety, further complicating students' ability to succeed academically. Identifying and addressing the predictors of financial anxiety, therefore, becomes essential in fostering a supportive environment for students.

BACKGROUND: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are unintended, harmful responses to medications at normal therapeutic doses causing significant morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs. Effective pharmacovigilance (PV) is essential for detecting, assessing and preventing ADR. Reporting of ADRs by healthcare professionals is vital for the success of pharmacovigilance. Community Pharmacists play a key role in ADR reporting but underreporting remains a serious issue. This study focuses on assessing theknowledge, attitude and practice of ADR reporting among community pharmacists in Benin City. OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practice of community pharmacists in adverse drug reactions reporting. 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 licensed community pharmacists. The data obtained was analyzed using the software, SPSS version 29. RESULTS: From the study conducted, a total of 184 community pharmacists participated, of which 65.4% were males while 34.6% were females. The result showed an encouraging awareness levels ofcommunity pharmacists to pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reporting practices. Almost all respondents (98.9%) acknowledged that ADRs should be reported by community pharmacists and recognized the importance of such reporting for patient safety. Poor knowledge about drug-induced diseases was evident in only 11% of participants while 52% demonstrated good knowledge. Attitudes were primarily positive (78%) and practices vi were categorized as good for 7%, fair for 27% and poor for 66% of pharmacists. The top five reported barriers to ADR reporting were unavailability of ADR forms (27%), uncertainty about causality (13.7%), lack of time/workload (12.3%), no rewards for reporting (9.7%), and complexity of the reporting form (8.7%). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study revealed that community pharmacists in Benin City had an encouraging awareness level to pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting practices, a good knowledge of drug-induced diseases, and demonstrated a positive attitude towards ADR reporting but consistent ADR reporting was still below expectations. Thus, there is poor reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) by community pharmacists in Benin City

Introduction: The role of community pharmacies in healthcare delivery is indispensable, they serve as vital hubs within the healthcare system. Objectives: The research works aims to assess the services that community pharmacies in Edo state Nigeria offer and also limitations that prevent them or reduce their capacity to perform these services. Method: A cross sectional survey was distributed among community pharmacists in Edo state, Nigeria, The data was collected using a well validated questionnaire utilizing the convenience sampling technique. The data gotten was analyzed using SPSS 21.
Results: Out of the 99 respondents, 58.6% were male and 41.4% were female. The top services that were offered often by Community pharmacies were: handling and storage of medication (90.9%), sore throat, cough and flu (87.9%), aches and pains (83.8%), blood pressure tests (81.8%), prescribed medication counselling (79.8%), Stomach issues (diarrhoea, constipation) (78.8%). Major challenges to community pharmacy service were time constraints(43.4%) and capacity constraints(43.4%)
Conclusion: This survey uncovers services and challenges in community pharmacies, emphasizing their vital role in accessible healthcare. The prevalent services highlight their importance. Challenges of time and capacity (42.2%) underline difficulties. Addressing these challenges will be crucial in ensuring the continued delivery of high-quality services to the community

Background: Managing medical complications in pregnancy is a challenge to clinicians since only a few medicines have been specifically tested for safety. Objectives: The prescription pattern for pregnant women who attended antenatal clinic visits was assessed and the level of adherence of prescribers to protocol on the use of medicines in pregnancy was assessed. The prevalence of different medical conditions among pregnant who attended the antenatal clinic was evaluated. Methods: Medical case files of 201 pregnant women who attended antenatal clinic visits were systematically sampled and investigated from a population of 789 pregnant women who registered for antenatal clinic visits and received prescriptions within the period of study (December 2022 to May 2023). Disease pattern was determined from their diagnoses. The prescription pattern was assessed using WHO indicators, and the United States Food and Drug Administration classification of medicines according to risk to the foetus
Results: Among the 201 pregnant women, 56.72% were in the age group of 25-34, which happened to be the majority and represents the normal reproductive age. Among the medical conditions to which drugs were prescribed in different trimesters, malaria was the most common ailment which comprised 22.45%, 37.56%, and 29.53% in the first, second, and third trimesters respectively. Out of the total drugs prescribed, category A comprised 8.92%, category B 46.79% and category C 36.62%. Category D and X were not prescribed. The average number of drugs per prescription was 3.18, Percentages encountered with antibiotics, injections, and generics were 11.11%, 7.36%, and 86.70% respectively. Conclusion: Malaria fever occurred most frequently (32.75%) followed by upper respiratory tract (11.91%) and fungal infection (8.68%) among the pregnant women. The average number of prescriptions per encounter was much higher than WHO standard, indicating occurrence of polypharmacy. There was no occurrence of contraindicated drugs. WHO core indicators of good prescription behaviour were adhered to with regard to the use of antibiotics, injections and generic names in prescriptions.

Vaccines remain one of the most successful and cost-effective measures for combating COVID-19. However, vaccine hesitancy which refers to delay in acceptance of vaccination despite availability of vaccination services (MacDonald NE and SAGE working group, 2015), could pose a serious problem for COVID-19 prevention and control. Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the level of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among staff of the institution and factors associated with it. Methods: The study design was a cross-sectional retrospective study. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was shared to the staff in their various offices. The outcome measures were participants’ demographics, participants’ knowledge of the disease, and of course the proportion of participants already vaccinated, vaccine hesitancy rates and reasons for this hesitancy. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 and Minitab version 19. Bivariate analysis was performed by the chi-square test, and statistical significance was accepted when p-value is < 0.05. Results: Only 140 of the study responses were analyzed. Results showed that only 42, representing just 30% of the surveyed participants have been vaccinated, whereas, 98 participants representing 70% of the study respondents have not been vaccinated/ hesitant to get vaccinated. Vaccine safety concerns (31.4%), vaccine effectiveness (27.1%) and availability (15.7%) major of their hesitancy towards getting vaccinated. Nature of job (whether academic or non-academic) with p=0.032, years of experience with p=0.004, and educational level with p=0.002 may have significantly influence participants decisions towards the vaccine. Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is high among staff of the University of Benin, and this is attributable to concerns surrounding the vaccine safety, effectiveness and availability. Keywords: Corona virus, vaccine, hesitancy

INTRODUCTION: Community pharmacies play a crucial role in providing healthcare services to the general population including students but there is limited research on how this particular demographic perceives and engages community pharmacies. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate university students’ perception towards community pharmacies and their health services in Ekosodin community, Benin City, Edo state. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 university students living in the Ekosodin community. A self-administered questionnaire was the primary tool for data collection and consisted of 3 sections: respondent’s demographics, reasons for/frequency of pharmacy visits and assessment of satisfaction levels and action able feedback. Collected data were analyzed through both descriptive and inferential statistics using statistical software such as the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 21). RESULTS: Out of 400 respondents, 344 (86%) identified medicine purchases as the main reason for visiting the community pharmacy. The role of the pharmacist was seen as satisfactory with a mean score of 4.10 (maximum of 5) while commonly expected health screening services were blood pressure measurements and malaria parasite tests (253, 63%). The majority (273, 68.3%) were willing to discuss medicines prescribed for them with the pharmacist with a lack of privacy often cited as the main barrier to communication (239, 59.8%). CONCLUSION: The study revealed that the majority of university students were satisfied with the provided health services and perceive community pharmacists as drug experts whom they can willingly discuss medication issues with. However, the lack of privacy in the pharmacy hindered effective communication.