Vol. 5, Issue 1, Part A (2023)

Background: Pharmaceutical care plays a pivotal role starting from effective medication utilization to overall improvements in health-related quality of life of the patient by working closely with the patients and other health care providers.
In many developed countries, the provision of pharmaceutical care is highly advocated but when we come to developing countries like Ethiopia even though students can acquire knowledge related to pharmaceutical care its applicability in practical settings is still in its infant age, hence it should be integrated with other health care system so that students can apply the knowledge they acquired in enhancing pharmacotherapy and improving patients’ quality of life.
Objective: To assess the attitude of undergraduate Addis Ababa University pharmacy students toward pharmaceutical care and perceived barriers for provision of pharmaceutical care.
Methods: An online descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from July 17 2021 to August 30, 2021 in the college of health sciences, among 4th and 5th-year undergraduate pharmacy students to assess their attitude toward pharmaceutical care and perceived barriers to its implementation using a 13-item- standard pharmaceutical care attitude survey (PCAS) questionnaire and 12-items pharmaceutical care barrier questionnaires.
Result: Over a seven-week study period, among 105 students, 94 students completed the online survey; achieved overall response rate was 89.5%. Response rate was 85% for 4th year students and 94% for 5th year students.
Conclusion: Addis Ababa University Undergraduate pharmacy students showed positive attitude toward pharmaceutical care. Inadequate training in pharmaceutical care, poor image of pharmacist’s role in society, very limited workplace in government and private hospitals, lack of access to the patient medical record in the pharmacy and inadequate internship period (hospital and community pharmacy) were the top perceived barriers by students for provision of pharmaceutical care.