Knowledge, Perception and Practices Regarding Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) Among Pharmacists across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra: A Pilot Study to Assess the Role of Pharmacists in Tobacco Cessation in Indian Scenario

Abstract

Background and Aim: To achieve Tobacco cessation various methods have been studied including patient education about the ill effects of tobacco, behavior counselling and pharmacotherapy. For patients who prefer purchasing over-the-counter NRT to help them with tobacco cessation, the community pharmacist may be the only health care provider to interact with the patient at the initial stages and in between the quit attempt. Since there are no such studies conducted in India so far, to explore these aspects we have undertaken this study to assess the Knowledge, Perception and Practices of pharmacists in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai regarding NRT and its products.
Material and Methods: Cross sectional questionnaire research was conducted to assess the Knowledge, Perception and Practices Regarding Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) Among Pharmacists Across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra. All participants were interviewed by a single investigator. Questionnaire included 21 questions. Total 10 questions were related to knowledge which were multiple choice question with one correct answer.5 questions were related to their perception and 6 questions were related to their practices related to NRT. Data was collected from pharmacies which were registered under Maharashtra State Pharmacy Council.
Results: Availability of NRT products at the pharmacy was observed among 89.5% pharmacists while 10.5% of pharmacists did not have it available. 96.8% pharmacists were aware about Nicotine Replacement Therapy while 3.3% pharmacists were unaware. On comparing Knowledge with Perception, overall pharmacists with higher Mean Knowledge Score had positive perception about NRT as compared to those with lower Mean Knowledge Score. This difference was found to be statistically significant. 176 (44%) pharmacists with higher mean knowledge score (7.75±2.353) do not sell NRT without prescription while 224 (56.1%) pharmacists with lower mean knowledge score (6.54±1.889) sell NRT without prescription (P value = 0.000).
Conclusion: Present study provides vital information about the current status of knowledge, perception and practice regarding NRT among pharmacists across Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Maharashtra.