Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Concerning Pharmacogenomics among Pharmacists: A Systematic Review

Background: Pharmacists are furnished with expert drug knowledge and have been considered as valuable resource of drug information, therefore, are well positioned to play a leading role in the application of pharmacogenomics (PG) in to clinical practice. This might prevent Chemotherapy related adverse events and improve patient outcomes, despite the ethical, privacy concerns and potential implications of lifelong genetic-data. Methods: This review is to evaluate and digest the various studies on Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice concerning pharmacogenomics among pharmacists and to suggest future research areas. 13 English published studies from 2004 to 2014 were selected. Studies involving Pharmacists of different area of practice and covering research from different continents were selected. Only studies on attitudes, knowledge and practice concerning pharmacogenetics among pharmacists from 2004 to 2014, and research articles published in English were selected. Non-research articles, studies done on general public; studies conducted among other healthcare professionals; studies on genetics of diseases or toxicogenetics were excluded. Results: Knowledge and practice regarding pharmacogenetics among pharmacists were poor despite good attitudes. There was knowledge advancement from 38% in 2005 to more than 50% 2013 in some countries. Some barriers to adoption of pharmacogenomics into patient care and interventional recommendations were highlighted. Conclusion: there is an urgent call for additional training of Pharmacogenomics among pharmacists and to incorporate pharmacogenomics into curriculum of pharmacy schools. Pharmacists and future pharmacists should be trained on how to critically evaluate the use, efficacy, and safety of available pharmacogenetic testing.