ABSTRACT:
The study was carried out to assess the change in knowledge, and associated variables, of community pharmacists attending an educational workshop with a focus on primary knowledge base pertaining to community pharmacy practice. A pre-test and a post-test were conducted for the participant pharmacists of the educational workshop. Those who did not complete the tests were not included in the evaluation. Tests were based on multiple choice questions (MCQ) consisting of 20 questions. The questions were designed to cover information on drugs, legal issues of retail sale and their storage and use. Tests were scored from 0 to 20, and the change in scores was analyzed. Of the 60 selected pharmacists, 53 attended the workshop and 49 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. 79.6% were male, and the participants’ average age was 31.9 years (CI95% = 30.13-33.67). The average pre-test score was 5.10 (CI95% = 4.46-5.64). The average post-score was 10.57 (CI95% = 9.78-11.36). Significant changes in scores occurred in knowledge among study pharmacists. The average change in score was 5.47 (CI95% = 4.99 – 5.97). However no statistical significance was found between independent variables (age, gender, previous experience, or position in the pharmacy) analyzed. Workshop increased pharmacists’ general knowledge. Evaluation of such a programme can help to identify ways of ensuring more efficient future programmes.