Objectives:

The objectives of this research traversed:

(1). Analysis of the inter-professional collaboration among healthcare professionals, specifically physicians and pharmacists in Nigeria.

(2). Evaluating the factors that hinder this collaboration in Nigeria.

(3). Evaluating the factors that improve this collaboration in Nigeria.

(4). Suggesting feasible solutions that will bolster the collaboration between physicians and pharmacists in Nigeria.

Methodology:

The research methodology employed was a mixture of qualitative and quantitative approaches through a mixed-method questionnaire making use of the online platform, google forms. The questionnaire was devoid of bias, no personal questions were asked and there was no interference on the part of the author to the responses garnered. The qualitative approach was phenomenological centered around the daily experiences of physicians and pharmacists. The questionnaire was dispersed to physicians and pharmacists in government hospitals, primary care centers, community pharmacists and patients in these environments. Likert scales were employed in measuring the varying views on the subject. The patients were also asked their opinion of physicians, pharmacists and the quality of healthcare they receive.
 
Findings:

The research confirmed a finding from the literature review that in this relationship, community pharmacists are indispensable as they account for the majority of pharmacists in Nigeria. This is also important because they interact the most with patients. The research also showed a current scarcity of interactions between physicians and pharmacists which shows why this has been foreign in Nigeria's healthcare sector. Physicians and pharmacists that have interacted have had an amenable relationship, this shows that the relationship is welcome and has the capacity to improve healthcare in Nigeria. Finally, patients visit their pharmacists for the more common ailments highlighting their importance and the possibility of a good relationship when these two professionals work hand in hand.
 
Analysis:

This research to the best of my knowledge was the first of its kind in Nigeria. It is important because for a developing country, healthcare is an important sector that cannot be overlooked. In developed countries, inter-professional collaboration has been widely researched and confirmed to improve the healthcare of their patients and the goal of the research is to test the veracity of this knowledge in a developing country like Nigeria. This was done by gathering responses from physicians, pharmacists and patients by employing a mixed method questionnaire, seeking their opinion because it directly affects them. The result showed that this collaboration is almost non-existent in Nigeria and a lot of work needs to be done by the government, healthcare professionals, the governing bodies of these professions and even the public in order to bring this collaboration to fruition and cause good clinical outcomes.

Conclusions:

A major discovery of this body of work from the secondary research was that community pharmacists have a huge role to play in this relationship, findings from primary research also confirmed this. This relationship also has not been developed effectively in Nigeria, but it is welcome nonetheless. Unsurprisingly also, physicians in Nigeria do not view pharmacists as colleagues, they have little respect for this profession this is enhanced by lack of proper communication between these professionals and even the patients. The Nigerian government need to be more proactive and invest in the Nigerian healthcare system, the study of this relationship should also be introduced into the curriculum of medical and pharmacy students. Finally, there should be establishment of electronic medical records and accountable care organizations that enhances access to patient information under the strictest regulations.