PSN Seeks Collaboration Among Specialist Pharmacists To Strengthen Pharmacy Practice

The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has called for stronger collaboration among specialised branches of the pharmacy profession to improve patient care, strengthen professional competencies and advance pharmacy practice in the country.

The PSN President, Ayuba Ibrahim Tanko, who made the call ahead of the society’s 99th Annual National Conference, said stronger pharmacy practice would require advanced clinical practice, collaboration among healthcare professionals, residency training, education and research, particularly in pharmacotherapy, medication safety, pharmaceutical preparation and the appropriate use of medicines.

He explained that integrating these areas of professional expertise would strengthen patient-care services, promote competency development, improve practice-based training and enhance collaboration between pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.

According to him, existing initiatives provide a foundation for advancing these objectives, including the recognition of the Consultant Pharmacist cadre, the PSN’s collaboration with the West African Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (WASPEN), and the International Pharmacy Practice Residency Programme (IPPR) at Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), facilitated by the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP).

He said bringing the initiatives into a common strategic discussion would help align professional priorities without merging them into a single programme or disregarding their existing governance structures.

On the Co isnsultant Pharmacist cadre, Tanko noted that its recognition within federal and state public-service schemes of service presented an opportunity to clarify the responsibilities and competencies expected of pharmacists in advanced practice.

He said consistent implementation required clearer definitions of their roles, professional development expectations, reporting relationships and accountability.

“A standardised framework could support more consistent appointments, improve workforce planning and strengthen the integration of advanced pharmacists into multidisciplinary clinical teams,” he said.

Tanko called for a competency and qualification framework covering advanced clinical practice, leadership, education, research and service development.

He said the framework should also clarify pharmacists’ contributions to complex medication-related decisions, therapeutic optimisation, medication safety, coordinated patient care, mentorship, professional education and quality improvement.

He advised that such a framework should draw on relevant international models while reflecting Nigeria’s healthcare system, regulatory environment and workforce needs.

He added that any proposed clinical authority or prescribing responsibilities must remain consistent with applicable Nigerian laws and regulations.

On the PSN-WASPEN collaboration, Tanko said the partnership offered opportunities to strengthen multidisciplinary nutrition care and define appropriate roles for pharmacists in clinical nutrition and specialised pharmaceutical services.

He identified opportunities in the identification and management of medication-related problems that could affect nutritional status, treatment response and recovery.

Pharmacists, he said, could also contribute to the safe use of medicines in patients receiving enteral or parenteral nutrition by addressing compatibility, administration and monitoring requirements.

Other areas include developing nutrition-support protocols, strengthening medication-safety systems, clinical monitoring and quality improvement.

Tanko also highlighted sterile compounding and specialised pharmaceutical services as important areas for professional development and health-system improvement.

He explained that the PSN, in collaboration with relevant partners, had advanced initiatives to strengthen local pharmaceutical compounding and manufacturing, beginning with non-sterile preparations.

According to him, the WASPEN-pharmaceutical industry collaboration represents the second phase of the broader initiative, with a focus on sterile compounding and specialised pharmaceutical services, particularly the safe preparation of parenteral nutrition.

He said the initiative could support training in aseptic techniques, sterile compounding and cleanroom practices, alongside the development and implementation of quality systems, standard operating procedures and risk-management processes.

Other potential benefits include supporting the safe preparation of parenteral nutrition in collaboration with multidisciplinary nutrition-support teams and exploring centralised admixture services where feasible, properly governed and sustainable.

Tanko added that the collaboration could promote technical education, clinical attachments, research and the appropriate introduction of compounding technologies.

He said joint workshops, webinars, conferences, mentorship and clinical attachments could further strengthen professional competencies.

However, he stressed that any new service should be assessed against local needs, regulatory requirements, staffing, infrastructure and sustainable financing.

On the International Pharmacy Practice Residency Programme, Tanko said it was launched at DELSUTH, Oghara, in May 2022 through WAPCP, in collaboration with the teaching hospital and with engagement involving the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

He said the programme offered an opportunity to strengthen the practice-based component of postgraduate pharmacy training by connecting theoretical knowledge with supervised clinical experience.

Its development, he added, also provided lessons in residency programme leadership, preceptor preparation, competency assessment and service improvement.

Tanko said efforts to strengthen the programme should focus on clear learning objectives, competency assessment, structured clinical experiences, preceptor development, mentorship and consistent feedback for residents.

He added that multidisciplinary patient care, medication safety, quality improvement and research should be integrated into the training.

“The IPPR should complement existing WAPCP postgraduate training and residency pathways rather than be presented as evidence that traditional training lacks practical value,” he said.

He noted that decisions on expanding the programme should be guided by documented experience, programme readiness, the availability of preceptors, service capacity and applicable accreditation requirements.

According to him, the DELSUTH programme is under review by ASHP following an accreditation survey, with a decision expected by March 2027.

Tanko said inputs had been obtained from relevant stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), PSN, WASPEN, WAPCP, the Association of Consultant Pharmacists, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), healthcare institutions and academic partners.

He stressed the need to identify areas requiring immediate action and those needing further consultation or technical development to ensure the initiatives achieve their objectives.