Determine the perceived level of involvement and factors affecting diabetes management by community pharmacy professionals at drug retails in northwestern amhara region, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Pharmacists in community drug retail outlets (CDROs) have significant involvement in diabetes prevention and management by providing more direct interventions in medication education, preventive measures, and disease management. This study examined the perceived level of involvement of community pharmacy professionals (CPPs) in diabetes management at CDROs in Northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted among CPPs in Northwest Ethiopia between September 1 and 30, 2022. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 26 was used to analyzed the data, which had been gathered using a self-administered structured questionnaire. An independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to examine the mean perceived involvement score difference between CPPs. The association between CPPs’ involvement and other sociodemographic variables was examined using linear regression analysis. At a 95% confidence interval (CI), a p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The study included 184 (94.3%) of 195 CPPs approached. The overall mean perceived involvement score of CPPs in diabetes management was 3.80 ± 0.63 out of 5. CPPs with a bachelor's degree or higher [β = 3.065, 95% CI: 2.704, 3.641; p < 0.001], CPPs with a higher monthly income (≥5000 ETB) [β = 0.242, 95% CI: 0.112, 0.596; p = 0.034], and those who provided more than 8 hours of service per day [β = 0.163, 95% CI: 0.051, 0.332; p = 0.043] had higher perceived involvement in the management of diabetes compared with their counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that most CPPs had a high level of perceived involvement in diabetes management. Higher educational backgrounds, a higher monthly salary, and working longer hours were associated with an increased level of perceived involvement. Promoting the educational background of CPPs may be crucial to enhance their active involvement in the management of diabetes.