Pharm. Adibe M.O. (M.Pharm)
Background: Access to authoritative and independent information is fundamental for the rational and effective use of drugs. In Nigeria, there is currently very few drug information centres or other source for problem oriented drug information.
Purpose: To assess the attitude and behaviour of health professionals (physicians and pharmacists) in Enugu State, Nigeria towards provision of drug information services in the state.
Methods: A self-completion questionnaire was administered to 37 doctors and 41 pharmacists in the included hospitals and faculty of pharmacy. A twenty-item question was added to assess the attitude and behaviour of the respondents towards provision of drug information services. Respondents were requested to rate necessity of each item by selecting among ??Not Important at all?? to ??Very Important?? (lowest to highest). The instrument was prefaced: ??Very important??, ??Important??, ??Less important??, and ??Not important at all??. Their attitude and behaviour were expressed in term of item-performance. The percentage item-performance was calculated to reflect the level of necessity of each items; high percentage item-performance of an item correlates with high level of necessity of the item in provision of drug information services and vice versa.
Results: Out of 78 questionnaires administered, 67 were retrieved given a response rate of 85.90%. The major sources of drug information currently in use were medical journals (79.1%), medical representatives of drug manufacturers and marketers (71.6%). The drug information areas mostly sought for by the respondent were indication (86.6%), use of drug in special group (77.6%). The attitude and behaviour of health professionals towards provision of drug information services in Enugu state were positive. This study identified three barriers and five facilitators as the major factors affecting provision of efficient and effective drug information services in Enugu state. The major contributors (facilitator (F) and barriers (B)) respectively were high budget allocation to health-care system (F) and lack of team spirit among health professionals (B).
Conclusion: This study revealed that health professionals in Enugu state had positive attitude and behaviour to provision of drug information services.
