A comparative analysis of community pharmacists’ involvement in HIV/AIDS services before and after training interventions in Nigeria

Abstract

<title>Abstract</title> Background Community pharmacists' expanded roles in the delivery of HIV testing services (HTSs) and antiretroviral (ARV) medication therapy management (MTM) have been shown to improve with training interventions, but this has not been evaluated in Nigeria. This study evaluated community pharmacists' involvement in the delivery of HIV/AIDS services in community pharmacies in Nigeria before and after a training intervention and the value of the services added to community pharmacy practices. Methods: A before-and-after intervention study was conducted in 2019 among 45 selected community pharmacists in Oyo State, Nigeria. A semistructured questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale was administered to assess their involvement, with 8 items for HTS and 9 items for ARV/MTM services before and after a training intervention. The data were analysed via descriptive and inferential statistics, and the p value was set at ≤ 0.05. Results: At the baseline survey, 17.8% of the respondents were involved in rapid HIV test services, while all the respondents were involved after training. The total mean total score for HTS after training was 31.80 ± 9.824, whereas it was 21.38 ± 16.542 before training (range 8–40, midpoint = 24, p ≤ 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the number of ARV/MTM services offered before (23.27 ± 18.896) and after (23.71 ± 13.441) the training programme (range 9–45, midpoint = 27, p &gt; 0.05). The barriers to integrating HIV/AIDS services into community pharmacy practices before and after the training program were significantly lower after training (p ≤ 0.05), with the exception of the absence of financial compensation (p &gt; 0.05). The services increased and encouraged patronage and patient inflow into the pharmacy (33.3%), where more clients in the community were tested and aware of their status (11.1%). Community pharmacists became more relevant in the community and had an improved positive image (11.1%), whereas the activities increased the knowledge and skills of pharmacists of HIV services (8.9%), among others. Conclusion Community pharmacists’ involvement in HIV/AIDS services was low before training. However, training interventions have been shown to improve HIV test services. For improved service delivery, the government should consider the remuneration of community pharmacists and possibly incorporate them into the healthcare system and designate them as PHC centers.