Abstract

Teslim OA, Kayode DSB, Matthew OBO, Olukemi MO, Elubode GA and Emmanuel O

The aims of this study were to evaluate the knowledge of Nigerian physiotherapists on dosage prescription for topical medications using Finger Tip Unit as an index; and also to determine their opinion on impact and usefulness of pharmacology education on topical medications. A self-administered questionnaire was utilized for this study. The participants were classified into 2 groups: those who had pharmacology education (48 participants) and those without formal education (59 participants) during undergraduate training. The data were analyzed using descriptive and non-parametric inferential statistics. Thirty-five respondents (85.4%) and 37 respondents (67.3%) of those with and without pharmacology education respectively showed poor knowledge of prescription dosages using Finger Tip Unit. A range of 66.1% to 83.3% of respondents did not respond to the questions on dosage of topical medications while only a range of very few (14.6% - 37.2%) knew the equivalence of FTU in gram among the 2 groups. The result showed that 38 physiotherapists (79.1%) and 46 (78.0%) with and without pharmacology education respectively agreed that extensive pharmacology education would have improved their knowledge of topical drugs and prescription. Similarly, 39 physiotherapists (81.3%) and 44 (80.0%) with and without pharmacology education respectively agreed that an extensive knowledge of pharmacotherapy is useful to practice and that it increases the quality of clinical practice. The result of the Chi square test showed that the number of respondents without pharmacology education who agreed with the positive opinion statements was significantly higher than that of those who had pharmacology education (X2 = -2.32, P = 0.003). The study concluded that both physiotherapists with and without pharmacology training have poor knowledge of dosage prescription of topical medications using FTU. Also, most respondents opined that pharmacology is relevant and useful to clinical physiotherapy practice.