THE IMPACT OF DRUG COST ON MEDICATION ADHERENCE IN NIGERIA: A PERCEPTION AMONG PHARMACISTS

Background: Given Nigeria's huge economic instability, medication expenses may significantly impact medication adherence, creating a barrier to the treatment of various ailments. The study aimed to assess pharmacists' perceptions about the impact of drug costs on medication adherence in Nigeria. Methods: The study was cross-sectional among practicing pharmacists across Nigeria. The 25 items semi-structured questionnaire was administered online using simple random sampling with the snowballing technique to recruit the pharmacists for the study. The collected data was coded into Microsoft Excel 2016 and subsequently analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Descriptive statistics were utilized to summarize the data, providing an overview of the demographic characteristics and key findings. Inferential statistics, specifically Pearson’s Chi-square test, were employed where applicable to determine the relationships between variables. Results: Total 161 pharmacists responded to the survey, giving an 80.5% response rate. The respondent rate was mainly young pharmacists (20–30 years old; 82.6%) and predominantly male (51.6%). Almost all the respondents possess only a bachelor of pharmacy degree (91.9%). Total 90% have practiced for 5 years or less, mostly in community settings (60.9%). Generic substitution has been cited as the most important technique to manage drug costs. Non-adherence due to cost was associated with practice settings, whereas adherence counseling was correlated with gender and setting of practice. All differences were not statistically significant at p<0.05. Conclusions: Most participants believe that the cost of medication is a major barrier to accessing quality healthcare and drives massive non-adherence among those who can barely afford the medicines. Implementing a comprehensive national strategy to enhance the healthcare system, expand the reach of the national health insurance program, and promote cooperation among healthcare practitioners will result in improved clinical outcomes for patients. Peer Review History: Received 22 May 2024; Revised 11 July 2024; Accepted 26 August; Available online 15 September 2024 Academic Editor: Dr. A.A. Mgbahurike, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, [email protected] Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 5.5/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.0/10 Reviewers: Prof. Hassan A.H. Al-Shamahy, Sana'a University, Yemen, [email protected] Dr. George Zhu, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, [email protected]