Government hospital pharmacists’ perceptions, attitudes, and practices on medication counselling: A multicentre crosssectional study in Sri Lanka

Medication counselling (MC) is an essential element of healthcare, particularly in pharmacy practice, as it promotes medication adherence and minimizes adverse effects. Hospital pharmacists play a crucial role by ensuring safe and effective use of medications. In Sri Lanka, the role of hospital pharmacists is largely restricted to dispensing medications, providing limited drug information, managing pharmaceutical inventories, and compounding extemporaneous preparations. This study aimed to evaluate perceptions, attitudes, and practices of pharmacists regarding MC at government hospitals in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. A cross-sectional study was conducted in October 2022 across 6 government hospitals in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. A validated, self-administered questionnaire was distributed among all eligible pharmacists (160) working at 6 selected government hospitals during the study period to gather demographic details, perceptions, attitudes, and practices on MC. The collected data were analysed via IBM SPSS software (version 25), and descriptive statistical methods were applied. Of the 160 pharmacists, 119 responded, and a majority (99.2%) affirmed that MC is a core responsibility, with 97.5% reporting their active involvement in this task. Notably, 92% engaged in counselling activities, and 68.9% had more than 10 years of experience. More than 80% routinely discussed essential details such as medication names, indications, administration routes, dosages, frequencies, treatment durations, and storage guidelines. The identified barriers to effective MC included time constraints (87%), limited knowledge (67%), lack of updated information (67%), and heavy patient loads (82%). Participants actively participated in MC and exhibited positive attitudes towards it. Many were seeking further knowledge to improve service quality. However, significant obstacles remain, such as time limitations, lack of updated knowledge, and high workload. The study recommends that policymakers, hospital administrators, and pharmacists collaborate on strategies to strengthen MC services, including the establishment of standard guidelines and patient education initiatives.