Impact of an educational intervention on community pharmacists’ knowledge improvement and retention in malaria management in Bajil District: a quasi-experimental study

Malaria remains a major healthcare challenge in Yemen. Community pharmacists, as accessible frontline healthcare providers, play a crucial role in the management of malaria, including the dispensing and counseling of antimalarial therapies. However, inadequate knowledge among pharmacists can hinder effective disease management. This study evaluated the impact of an educational intervention on pharmacists’ knowledge regarding malaria diagnosis and treatment. A pre-post quasi-experimental study was conducted among community pharmacists in Bajil District, Yemen. A single educational session on malaria diagnosis and treatment was delivered on May 21, 2024, followed by a WhatsApp-based continuous education program featuring posters and discussions. Pharmacists’ knowledge was assessed at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at three months using a 20-item validated questionnaire. Knowledge differences were analyzed using the Friedman test with Dunn’s post-hoc test, while a Linear Mixed Model (LMM) identified knowledge predictors. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. A total of 77 pharmacists completed all study phases. Most were male (68.8%), aged ≤ 23 years (55.8%), graduated from private institutions (85.7%), and held a pharmacy diploma (83.1%). At baseline, pharmacists showed low knowledge in key areas, including malaria species, diagnosis, complications, and treatment protocols. Knowledge scores improved significantly post-intervention (estimated marginal mean: 18.61 vs. 8.19; p < 0.001) and remained elevated at the three-month follow-up (17.58 vs. 8.19; p < 0.001). Female pharmacists scored higher than males (15.67 vs. 13.92; p = 0.006), and those dispensing antimalarials had higher scores than non-dispensers (15.69 vs. 13.89; p = 0.004). The educational intervention significantly improved pharmacists’ knowledge of malaria management, with retention sustained over three months. Incorporating targeted training and continuous professional development into national malaria control strategies and pharmacy licensure requirements may improve malaria treatment practices, reduce inappropriate dispensing, and support malaria elimination efforts in Yemen.