Assessment of Health workers’ compliance to Pharmaceutical Standards for managing Effective Use of Essential medicines: A study of Tamale Teaching Hospital, Tamale West and Tamale Central Hospitals

Abstract

Self- administered questionnaire were distributed to 100 healthcare providers in 3 public hospitals within the Tamale metropolis to assess compliance to pharmaceutical standards for effective use of essential medicines. The results revealed major challenges confronting compliance include lack of institutional policy, non-functional drugs and therapeutics committees, absence of and lack of training on pharmaceutical standards manual. Stipulated programs such as survey on rational use of medicines and formulary management committee activities are not effectively carried out on regular basis. The results also show standard treatment guidelines and essential medicines lists were however largely available. Whereas records on medicine supply to patients, medication history, medication counseling and adverse drug reaction records are well kept, those on therapeutic interventions (57.6%) and prescription analysis (59.6%) are not well maintained. In a multiple response set, the study revealed that only areas such as quality assurance (71%) attracted regular training whilst others such as rational use of medicines (59.4%), pharmacovigilance/adverse drug reactions (39.1%), drugs and therapeutic committee (39.1%), logistics and supply chain management (47.8%) did not. The study recommended effective implementation of quality assurance policy, functionality of drugs and therapeutic committees as well as intensified education and training on pharmaceutical standard provisions. It also
highlighted the need for supply of appropriate logistics and supportive supervision and monitoring systems to improve health worker compliance to the prescribed standards.