Integration of digital health into pharmacy education in Nigeria: Challenges and recommendations for national adoption

Digital health offers pharmacists the opportunities to enhance patient outcomes and transform healthcare services. Thus, its integration into the pharmacy curriculum and training programmes is highly essential for the dynamic role of pharmacists, in addition to the technical components learnt from their pharmacy institutions. Pharmacy education in Nigeria has evolved significantly over the decades, however, several barriers still challenge the integration of digital health. These challenges include insufficient infrastructure, rigid curricula, weak collaboration with digital health stakeholders, and inadequate technology adoption, among others. In this commentary, we highlight the significance of digital technologies in pharmacy practice and existing challenges to their integration in Nigeria's pharmacy education. We further propose a practical and strategic approach involving multiple relevant stakeholders to ensure pharmacy graduates in Nigeria are well-equipped for pharmacy practice in the current digital era.