Investigation of final-year pharmacy students' views on professionalism and ethics in pharmacy practice: an interventional study

Objective To evaluate the effects of educational intervention on final-year pharmacy students' views on professional attitudes and actions required for the present day pharmacy practice. Methods Final-year pharmacy students (Class 2018) of the largest faculty of pharmacy in north-east Nigeria were enrolled in this study. Interventional lecture and students small group discussions on situational dilemmas in pharmacy practice, highlighting the application of the Oath of Pharmacist and the Pharmacists' Code of Ethics, were instituted. Efficacy of the educational intervention was assessed using eight items of Professionalism in Pharmacy Practice Questionnaire. Statistical analysis was done using descriptive statistics and paired sample t-test. Key findings Fifty-seven students (82.4% of the entire final-year class) participated in the study and completed the pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. Of the eight items, seven improved significantly (P < 0.05), whereas the remaining one item also improved but this time with no significant difference. Conclusion This study showed that students' views on attitudes and behaviours related to professionalism and ethics in pharmacy practice improved following an educational intervention.