Assessment of Pharmaceutical Care Practices for Type 2 Diabetes Patients at a Federal Medical Centre in Nasarawa State

Structured pharmaceutical care has been demonstrated to improve glycaemic outcomes in type 2 diabetes, but its implementation in Nigerian public hospitals remains inconsistent. This study assessed pharmaceutical care practices and their relationship with clinical outcomes among type 2 diabetes patients at Federal Medical Centre Lafia in Nasarawa State, North Central Nigeria. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 175 type 2 diabetes patients attending the diabetes outpatient clinic. A structured questionnaire captured information on pharmacist interactions received, medication counselling quality, self-monitoring of blood glucose practices, and lifestyle modification guidance. HbA1c levels, fasting blood glucose, and blood pressure values were obtained from patient records. Results showed that formal pharmacist counselling was provided to only 28.6 percent of patients at each clinic visit. Self-monitoring of blood glucose was practised by only 43.4 percent of respondents, largely due to cost constraints. Patients who received pharmacist-led counselling had significantly lower mean HbA1c values (8.1 percent versus 9.7 percent for non-counselled patients; p < 0.001). Only 31.4 percent of patients had achieved recommended HbA1c targets below 7.0 percent. The study concludes that pharmaceutical care is associated with improved glycaemic outcomes in this population and recommends formalising clinical pharmacist roles in diabetes management teams across North Central Nigerian hospitals. Keywords: pharmaceutical care, type 2 diabetes, glycaemic control, Nasarawa State, HbA1c