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.

Hypertension is a leading cause of morbidity in Nigeria, and community pharmacists are positioned to bridge the documented "profoundly poor" self-care gap in Lokoja. This study evaluated the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) of Lokoja's community pharmacists regarding evidence-based hypertension management. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated KAP questionnaire, achieving an 88% participation rate (n=44) from the total population (N=50) of community pharmacists in Lokoja. Pharmacists demonstrated a highly positive attitude towards their role (WM=4.70) but perceived their pharmacies as unprepared for these services (WM=3.39). A critical knowledge deficit was identified: 75.8% were familiar with the outdated 2003 JNC 7 guideline, while only 27.3% knew the current 2017 ACC/AHA guideline. This correlated with poor knowledge of current Stage 1 (59.1%) and Stage 2 (54.5%) hypertension definitions. Practice was clearly divided, with high engagement in passive counseling (e.g., "Medication Counseling," 86.4% "Always") but low engagement in systematic, long-term care (e.g., "Documentation," WM=3.48; "Patient follow-up," WM=4.02). A significant knowledge-practice gap exists among Lokoja's pharmacists, driven not by poor attitude but by outdated guideline knowledge and environmental barriers. Mandated CPD on current guidelines and implementation of structured in-pharmacy systems are recommended..