Assessment of the preventive health content of pharmacy curriculum in Nigerian universities

There is a compelling need for curricular adjustments if pharmacy graduates are to effectively deliver preventive health services. Objective: To evaluate pharmacy training curriculum of Nigerian universities for contents of preventive healthcare services Method: A forty-two item pre-tested questionnaire with Cronbach’s alpha 0.875, was administered to the Heads of the Clinical Pharmacy department in 14 faculties of pharmacy in Nigeria. Data were expressed as frequency and percentages. Possible relationships were explored using Chi-square test. Results: Only four (28%) offered public health as a stand-alone course. Although the proportion of schools that incorporated preventive health topics in the curriculum ranged from 50 to 78%, topics such as disaster management, immunisation, accident prevention and infant nutrition were taught by only a few faculties. Regarding trainer capability, more than 70% (10) of faculties had only one or two faculty members with a degree in public health. Nearly one quarter, (n=2, 21.4%) had no faculty member with a degree in public health. Conclusion: Preventive health content of pharmacy curriculum in Nigerian universities appears adequate but there are deficiencies in the depth of the curricular content and trainer capabilities.