An Audit on Pharmacists' Knowledge and Experience in Pediatric Care

Abstract

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine pharmacists' perceived knowledge and expertise required to deliver pharmaceutical care services to pediatric patients. METHODS Once ethical approval was obtained, a questionnaire was posted on local pharmacy groups. The questionnaire is composed of 4 domains: 1) Demographics, 2) Perceived knowledge of pediatric treatment and dosing, 3) Real-life pediatric cases, and 4) Future aspirations to enhance pediatric pharmacy. RESULTS A total of 200 questionnaires were completed and submitted online. Most participants (62.5%) practiced in a community setting. Most respondents (40%) reported that 41% to 60% of their patients were pediatrics. In general, respondents had a good perception of their knowledge and expertise to deliver pharmaceutical care services to pediatric patients. However, most respondents had a low knowledge score when faced with real-life pediatric cases. On a scale of 7 most respondents obtained the score of 2 (32%). CONCLUSIONS The present study sheds light on an alarming lack of knowledge in pediatric pharmaceutics among pharmacies in Jordan. Further training and educational programs should be put in place to address this gap in knowledge.

Assessment of the knowledge and practice of pediatric pharmacy among hospital pharmacists in Delta State, Nigeria

“…Unexpectedly, less than half of the respondents could accurately calculate the needed drug dose for a pediatric patient, Alqudah and colleagues had previously suggested that there is need for pharmacists to be adept at dosage calculations [7], which is a very important in preventing wrong dosing in this population.…”

“…Furthermore, some drugs are unlicensed while some are used off-label in this population due to the non-inclusion of children in clinical trials until recently [4]. Previous studies established the need to include more pediatric courses in the undergraduate pharmacy curriculum [5][6][7], especially because the majority of pharmacists in Nigerian hospitals do not require more than the undergraduate pharmacy degree to practice. The knowledge and skill set needed to execute the basic pediatric pharmacy practice are essential in view of the number of pediatric patients encountered by hospital pharmacists in their practice.…”

“…A Palestinian study recommended increasing pharmacists' awareness in providing care to pediatric patients through continuing education [11]. A Jordanian study also reported a lack of pharmacists' knowledge in their ability to handle pediatric patients [7]. Community pharmacists in Ontario, Canada had reported variable levels of perceived comfort, confidence and knowledge in providing care for children with substantial proportion tending towards non-comfort with the prescriptions [8] while only a small proportion of pharmacists practicing in a community or home care setting in Detroit had expertise or knowledge in selected pediatric topics [12].…”