Community Pharmacists' Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Toward Pharmaceutical Care in Eastern Nepal

Background: Pharmaceutical care (PC) services play a crucial role in optimizing patients' drug therapy and improving treatment outcomes. This study aimed to assess community pharmacists' awareness, attitude, and practice toward PC in eastern Nepal. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted among registered pharmacists practicing community pharmacy in the Morang district, eastern Nepal, from February 2023 to July 2023. A self-administered 24-item structured questionnaire was used to assess participants' knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward PC. The participants' KAP was classified into good (>80%), moderate (60-79%), and poor (<60%) levels, respectively, using Bloom's cut-off score points. The chi-square test and Spearman's correlation test were employed to assess the association between the dependent and independent variables. Results: A total of 193 community pharmacists participated in this study; among them, most were male (73.1%) and under 30 years old (58.5%). Most participants (90.7%) had certificate-level pharmacy qualifications. The majority of the community pharmacists possessed good knowledge (65.3%) and attitude (47.7%) toward PC; however, their practice of PC services was poor (51.3%). The participants' age group and qualifications were significantly linked to a good understanding of PC, while gender was associated with better PC practices (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The study revealed that nearly two-thirds of the community pharmacists had adequate knowledge about PC, but their attitude and practice toward PC were suboptimal. Strict regulatory enforcement of PC-centered pharmacy practice, as well as PC practice-dedicated educational and interventional programs, are recommended for community pharmacy practitioners in this area.