Muzoriana Nyasha, Gavi Samuel, Nembaware Victoria, Dhoro Milcah, Matimba Alice
School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, P.O. Box A178, Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Department of Clinical Pharmacology, College of Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, P.O. Box A178, Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Pharmacy (Basel). 2017 Jun 30;5(3):36. doi: 10.3390/pharmacy5030036.
The potential of pharmacogenomics (PGx) to positively impact health outcomes and quality of healthcare is well-established. However, the application of available evidence into clinical practice is still limited due to limited knowledge among healthcare professionals, including pharmacists. As a start towards building capacity for PGx education, we assessed knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions about PGx among practising pharmacists and pharmacy students. A cross-sectional study was conducted among pharmacists and undergraduate pharmacy students selected using a convenient sampling method-a 37-question survey instrument was used to obtain information regarding PGx among the participants. Out of a total of 131 participants, 56% of respondents showed fair-to-good PGx knowledge. Respondents' self-reported assessment indicated that 88% had average and above knowledge scores in PGx. Practising pharmacists in Zimbabwe have positive attitudes towards PGx and would support its application to improve treatments. However, there were concerns about security and discrimination when genomics data is used by those who do not understand its meaning. Participants agreed that they would play a leading role in PGx testing if provided with appropriate training. The interest in PGx is challenged by their limited knowledge and understanding of genetics, suggesting a need to update curricula for pharmacy students and for continuing health education programmes.
药物基因组学（PGx）对改善健康结果和医疗保健质量产生积极影响的潜力已得到充分证实。然而，由于包括药剂师在内的医疗保健专业人员知识有限，现有证据在临床实践中的应用仍然受限。作为开展PGx教育能力建设的第一步，我们评估了执业药剂师和药学专业学生对PGx的知识、态度和认知。采用方便抽样方法对药剂师和本科药学专业学生进行了一项横断面研究，使用一份包含37个问题的调查问卷获取参与者关于PGx的信息。在总共131名参与者中，56%的受访者对PGx有较好的了解。受访者的自我评估表明，88%的人在PGx方面的知识得分处于中等及以上水平。津巴布韦的执业药剂师对PGx持积极态度，并支持将其应用于改善治疗。然而，当不理解基因组学数据含义的人使用这些数据时，人们担心会出现安全和歧视问题。参与者一致认为，如果接受适当培训，他们将在PGx检测中发挥主导作用。对PGx的兴趣受到他们对遗传学知识和理解有限的挑战，这表明需要更新药学专业学生的课程以及持续健康教育项目。
