Quality Assurance Practices in Nigerian Community Pharmacies: A Case Study of Selected Pharmacies in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory

Quality assurance in community pharmacy encompasses systems and processes designed to ensure that medicines are appropriately stored, dispensed, and documented, and that patient safety is consistently protected. This study evaluated quality assurance practices in community pharmacies in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, using a case study approach. Twenty-five community pharmacies were selected through stratified random sampling across five area councils. Data were collected through direct observation using a validated quality assurance checklist, unannounced facility inspections, pharmacist interviews, and review of dispensing and documentation records. Quality assurance scores ranged from 38 percent to 86 percent across pharmacies, with a mean score of 63 percent. Weakest performance domains included expired medicine checks, patient counseling documentation, and incident reporting systems. Pharmacies within hospital premises outperformed standalone community pharmacies on most quality indicators. Pharmacies that had undergone voluntary accreditation assessments within the preceding two years demonstrated significantly higher overall scores. Staff training in quality systems was identified as the most significant predictor of quality performance. The study advocates for mandatory quality management system training as part of continuing professional development for community pharmacists in the Federal Capital Territory. A tiered quality certification system for Nigerian community pharmacies, modeled on international frameworks, is proposed as a national policy recommendation. Keywords: quality assurance, community pharmacy, Abuja, pharmacy standards, patient safety