Use of internet as health information resource by community pharmacists in Nigeria
| Date | 08 October 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-07-2018-0065 |
| Published date | 08 October 2018 |
| Pages | 545-554 |
| Author | Stella Ngozi Anasi,Folasade Olufunke Lawal,Abiola Paul-Ozieh |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library & information services |
Use of internet as health
information resource by
community pharmacists in Nigeria
Stella Ngozi Anasi
University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria, and
Folasade Olufunke Lawal and Abiola Paul-Ozieh
Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria,
Lagos State Chapter, Lagos, Nigeria
Abstract
Purpose –The internet has become one of the most commonly used sources for medical and health
information. Research that explored the extent to which Nigerian community pharmacists use internet
resources for patientcare is limited. This study aims to examine the extent to which community pharmacists
use the internetfor professional practice.
Design/methodology/approach –Data were collected using a questionnaire which was completed by
115 community pharmacists using convenience sampling technique. Descriptive and inferential statistics
were used for dataanalysis.
Findings –The results revealed that communitypharmacists use a variety of online resources, although
only about 25 per cent or lessuse each of the online resources. The critical challenges thathinder their use of
the internet were inadequatepower supply, lack of funds to procure personal internet facilities,among others.
There is significantrelative contribution of demographic variables (gender,age, educational qualification and
number of yearsin professional practice) on frequency of internetuse among community pharmacists.
Practical implications –The Association of CommunityPharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Lagos Chapter,
should organize continuingprofessional education for their members to expose them to onlineresources and
emerging trends in professional practice. The community pharmacist should also address the problem of
inadequate communication withpatients by stepping up communication with the patients about their drug
therapy notonly through the conventional media but also throughinternet facilities such as email, WhatsApp
and so on.
Originality/value –This study examinedthe extent to which community pharmacists use the internet for
professional activities. This study also empirically investigated the significant relative contribution of
demographic variables (gender, age,educational qualification and number of years in professional practice)
on the frequency of internetuse among community pharmacists.
Keywords Internet use, Nigeria, Demographic variables, Community pharmacists,
Health information resource, Internet resources
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Community pharmacists are in a key position to provide valuable information resource for
patients and other healthcare professionals, especially information that promotes rational
drug use (Gelayee et al.,2017;Iwanowicz et al., 2006). Supporting thisview, Chisholm-Burns
et al. (2010) affirmed that community pharmacies are the most accessible, the most
frequently visited and, in many situations, the most cost-efficient healthcare providers.
Their knowledge and accessibilitymake them the natural first port-of-call by the public and
Internet as
health
information
resource
545
Received19 July 2018
Revised10 August 2018
23August 2018
Accepted25 August 2018
Informationand Learning Science
Vol.119 No. 9/10, 2018
pp. 545-554
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2398-5348
DOI 10.1108/ILS-07-2018-0065
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