Evaluating community pharmacists' involvement in patient counselling and health education in Nairobi, Kenya:A cross-sectional study.

BackgroundCommunity pharmacists serve as the most accessible healthcare providers, playing a pivotal role in patient counselling, health education, and disease prevention. Despite their critical function in the healthcare system, limited research has examined their actual involvement in these areas within Nairobi, Kenya. This study aims to assess community pharmacists engagement in patient counselling and health education, comparing self-reported practices with observed behaviours using a simulated patient approach. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among registered community pharmacies in Nairobi. A total of 60 community pharmacies were randomly selected, with 48 community pharmacists completing the study. Data collection involved two methods: structured questionnaires administered to pharmacists assessing self-reported patient counselling practices and simulated patient visits evaluating actual pharmacist-patient interactions. Three case scenarios (diabetes medication request without prescription, over-the-counter acne treatment request, and severe acne consultation) were used to assess pharmacists counselling competence, adherence to regulations, and patient education efforts. Descriptive statistics were applied to analyse the data, comparing self-reported responses with observed practices. ResultsFindings revealed significant discrepancies between pharmacists self-reported counselling practices and their actual interactions with patients. While, 66.67% of pharmacists claimed to provide detailed medication counselling, yet only 26.67% of simulated patients received adequate guidance. Additionally, 75% of pharmacists provided minimal verbal counselling beyond stating the drug name and dosage. Patient satisfaction levels were low, with most simulated patients rating their encounters poorly on a 20-point scale. ConclusionThe study underscores critical gaps in patient counselling, health education, and adherence to prescription regulations among community pharmacists in Nairobi. The disconnect between self-reported and observed counselling practices suggests the need for targeted training programs to enhance pharmacists communication skills, regulatory compliance, and disease prevention counselling. Strengthening enforcement mechanisms and integrating patient-centred education strategies in pharmacy curricula are essential to optimizing pharmacists roles in healthcare. Future research should explore barriers to effective counselling and evaluate the impact of training interventions on improving pharmacists patient engagement and adherence to professional standards.