Perception and Practice of Traditional Medicine among Pharmacy Professionals in Jimma University Medical Center, Southwestern Ethiopia

Introduction: Traditional medicine (TM) is widely used in developing countries due to its accessibility, cultural relevance, perceived efficacy, and safety. Pharmacists, as frontline healthcare professionals, are expected to provide any drug-related information to the patient, including herbal medicine. However, inadequate training on TM on top of the lack of regulation of TM practices poses challenges to their effective involvement. This study aimed to assess the perception and practice of pharmacists working in Jimma University Medical Center (JUMC). Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among pharmacists working at JUMC. Data was collected using a self-administered Google Form questionnaire. The collected data was exported into Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) 23.0. Descriptive analysis and chi square tests were performed to analyze the data. Results were considered significant when p ≤ 0.05. Result Out of the 73 pharmacists working in JUMC, 63 responded to the questionnaire. Most of the respondents were male, under 30 years of age and held B. Pharm degree. Most participants (87.5%) reported not having received any formal training related to TM. However, nearly three quarters of the respondents had used TM and 96.8% believed TM has beneficial effects. Overall, 90.8% of respondents’ families used TM, and family use was significantly associated with religion (Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact test, p = 0.028. On the other hand, most of the respondents supported the integration of TM and modern medicine, while lack of evidence-based research was identified as the main barrier to integration. Conclusion Pharmacists working at JUMC demonstrated a high prevalence of TM use and a generally positive perception toward its integration into modern healthcare. However, inadequate professional training and the lack of evidence-based research remain major barriers. Strengthening education, capacity building, and research on TM is essential to enable pharmacists to play an effective role in its safe and rational integration into modern medical practice.