Development of a Paediatric Pharmacotherapy Training Module for Hospital Pharmacists in North East Nigeria

Pharmacists in hospital settings in North East Nigeria require specialised training in paediatric pharmacotherapy to effectively manage the unique drug dosing, formulation, and monitoring challenges in children. This study developed and validated a paediatric pharmacotherapy training module for hospital pharmacists in Borno, Adamawa, and Gombe States. A competency-based training development approach was adopted, beginning with a training needs assessment survey of 55 hospital pharmacists, which identified significant knowledge gaps in neonatal dosing (67.3 percent inadequate knowledge), paediatric pharmacokinetics (71.0 percent inadequate), and off-label drug use documentation (80.0 percent inadequate). A structured review of paediatric pharmacotherapy training programmes from comparable sub-Saharan African settings informed module content. The resulting training module encompasses eight units covering paediatric developmental pharmacology, weight-based and age-based dosing calculations, common paediatric drug formulations, antibiotic dosing in renal and hepatic impairment, pharmacovigilance for children, off-label prescribing documentation, and pharmacist-physician communication in paediatric wards. Pre- and post-training assessments were administered to a pilot cohort of 28 pharmacists attending a three-day residential workshop. Post-training knowledge scores improved significantly (mean increase 34.2 percentage points; p < 0.001). The study recommends adopting this training module for annual continuing professional development of hospital pharmacists in the North East zone, coordinated through the Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria. Keywords: paediatric pharmacotherapy, training module, hospital pharmacists, North East Nigeria, competency-based training