community pharmacists

Background: Doping, or the use of performance-enhancing substances, threatens fairness and athlete
health worldwide. Pharmacists, as medication experts, are well-positioned to prevent both intentional and inadvertent doping by guiding athletes on safe drug, supplement, and herbal use. However, in Nigeria, pharmacists’ involvement remains limited, with gaps in knowledge, training, and policy integration. Understanding their awareness and perceptions can inform strategies to strengthen their role in promoting clean and ethical sports. Objective: This study evaluates community pharmacists’ knowledge and perceptions of anti-doping practices in Benin City, identifying knowledge gaps and exploring influencing factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 169 registered community pharmacists in Benin City, Nigeria, using convenience sampling. Data were collected via a structured self- administered questionnaire covering demographics, knowledge, perceptions, information sources, and barriers related to anti-doping. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression to explore associations and significance. Results: All 169 community pharmacists invited participated in the study. Most were male (65.7%), aged between 26 and 35 years (66.9%), held a BPharm degree (67.5%), and had 1–5 years of work experience (53.3%). The majority occupied senior roles (92.3%). Their anti-doping knowledge was generally fair (53.3%) or poor (42.6%), with noticeable gaps related to beta-blockers, CPD content, and legal aspects. Overall perceptions of their anti-doping role were strongly positive (75.1%). Longer professional experience and higher qualifications were linked to greater role awareness, though knowledge had only a weak influence on perceptions (p = 0.028, R² = 0.028). Conclusion: Community pharmacists demonstrated fair to poor knowledge of anti-doping, yet they held strongly positive attitudes toward their role in prevention. Significant gaps remain in training, access to resources, and procedural awareness. While more experienced and highly qualified pharmacists recognized their responsibilities better, knowledge had minimal impact on attitudes. Focused CPD, integration of WADA resources, and clear professional guidelines are crucial to fully equip pharmacists for doping prevention.

Background: Telepharmacy, the provision of pharmaceutical care through telecommunication and digital technologies has emerged as a transformative innovation for improving access to pharmacy services, particularly in regions with limited healthcare infrastructure. In Nigeria, the concept remains relatively new, and community pharmacists play a central role in its successful implementation. Understanding their knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions is therefore essential for advancing digital healthcare integration. This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of community pharmacists in Benin City, Nigeria, toward telepharmacy and identified potential barriers to its adoption. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among community pharmacists practicing in Benin City, Edo State. A total of 188 questionnaires were distributed using a convenience sampling technique during professional meetings and on-site pharmacy visits. Data were collected through a structured, self-administered questionnaire covering four domains: socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, perception, attitude, and perceived challenges related to telepharmacy. Data were analysed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) summarized responses, while Chi-square tests determined associations between variables at a 5% significance level (p < 0.05). Results: Out of 188 distributed questionnaires, 179 were returned and analysed. Most respondents were male (75.3%), aged 31–40 years (51.1%) and held a B.Pharm degree (57.9%). Knowledge of telepharmacy was generally high: 93.3% acknowledged its availability in Nigeria, and 98.3% agreed it played an important role during global health crises. Perception toward telepharmacy was positive. Attitudinal responses were similarly favourable, with 82.6% expressing willingness to adopt telepharmacy in practice and 87.1% believing it would improve pharmaceutical care in Benin City. However, major challenges identified included poor internet connectivity (96.1%), limited patient digital literacy (84.3%), lack of training (76.4%), high installation cost (68.0%), and patients’ unwillingness to pay for services (62.4%). Years of experience were significantly associated with knowledge level (p = 0.026), while gender influenced perception (p = 0.018). Conclusion: The study revealed high awareness and positive attitudes toward telepharmacy among community pharmacists in Benin City, reflecting readiness to integrate digital technologies into pharmacy practice. Nonetheless, infrastructural and economic barriers particularly unreliable internet services, inadequate training, and low patient acceptance remain critical obstacles. Strengthening ICT infrastructure, developing national telepharmacy guidelines, and providing continuous professional training are necessary steps toward sustainable telepharmacy adoption in Nigeria.