Assessment of Clinical Nutrition Counseling Practices by Hospital Pharmacists in Teaching Hospitals in Lagos State, South West Nigeria

Clinical nutrition counseling is an increasingly recognized domain of pharmacist practice, encompassing guidance on dietary supplements, enteral and parenteral nutrition, malnutrition screening, and food-drug interactions. Despite its importance, the extent to which hospital pharmacists in Nigeria engage in clinical nutrition counseling remains poorly documented. This study assessed clinical nutrition counseling practices among hospital pharmacists in teaching hospitals in Lagos State, South West Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 80 hospital pharmacists at three major teaching hospitals using a validated, self-administered questionnaire. Knowledge of clinical nutrition principles, current counseling behaviors, and perceived confidence and training needs were assessed. Findings showed that only 39 percent of respondents demonstrated satisfactory knowledge of enteral nutrition products, and 61 percent reported rarely or never providing nutrition counseling to patients. Food-drug interaction counseling was the most frequently reported nutritional activity, offered by 53 percent. Confidence in parenteral nutrition management was low, reported by only 22 percent. Lack of formal postgraduate training in clinical nutrition and inadequate staffing limiting counseling time were the most cited barriers. Pharmacists expressed strong interest in receiving clinical nutrition training. The study recommends inclusion of clinical nutrition as a formal specialty within the hospital pharmacy curriculum and professional development framework in Lagos State teaching hospitals. Keywords: clinical nutrition, hospital pharmacist, food-drug interactions, Lagos State, pharmaceutical care