Ehijie F.O Enato

Background: In hospital practice, the roles of pharmacists as assets are very significant in achieving the overall goals of the hospital which is provision of humanistic, economical and clinical outcomes. Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the role of hospital pharmacist during the Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria. Method: The study was conducted on pharmacists practicing in either government or private owned hospitals within Benin-City, Edo state. Descriptive survey design was used for the study and 3 research questions was developed for the study. Random sampling method was used. The instrument used for collection of data was a structured questionnaire.
Key findings: Total 180 hospital pharmacist were involved in the study. This study highlights the various roles and pharmaceutical care services provided and implemented by pharmacists
during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. Pharmaceutical care services like patient education and counselling, social distancing, wearing of mask, providing information, addressing medication shortages, teleconsultation, medication review, optimizing medication regimen, adverse drug reaction monitoringand addressing the medication-related problems are being delivered by the pharmacists in this ongoing pandemic. Conclusion: All the studies described the roles and responsibilities of the pharmacists duringCOVID-19 in Nigeria. This pandemic adversity has opened up new avenues for the hospital pharmacists which have broadened their scope as the member of multidisciplinary healthcare team. Pharmacists have to overcome the unforeseen barriers and challenges and continue providing need based pharmaceutical care services.

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