PHARMACY PRACTCE: A

COMMTMENT TO MPLEMENT
CHANGE
Qais Alefan
R.Ph, B.Pharm, M.Pharm, PhD
ntroduction
The first WHO Consultative Groups on the Role of the
Pharmacist met in New Delhi in 1988 & in Tokyo in
1993
n 1994, the 47th World Health Assembly called for the
development & implementation of national medicines
policies aimed at improving access to & rational use of
medicines
National medicines policies, which have been
developed in over 100 WHO Member States, provide
a framework for good pharmaceutical practice
Eastern Mediterranean Region medicines situation
Policy changes
The WHO Revised Drug Strategy relating to the role of the
pharmacist was also addressed in the 1994 resolution of
the World Health Assembly
V t recognizes the key role of pharmacists in public health, including
the use of medicines
V t emphasizes their responsibility.
to provide informed & objective advice on medicines & their use,
to promote the concept of pharmaceutical care,
to participate actively in illness prevention & health promotion
The 3rd & 4th WHO consultative groups on the role of the
pharmacist met in Vancouver in 1997 & in The Hague in
1998
Policy changes
Other documents on good pharmaceutical practice include
V The WHO document "Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) in Community & Hospital
Pharmacy Settings
V The FP documents:
"Guidelines for Good Pharmacy Practice of 1993, revised in 1997,
"Good Pharmacy Practice in Developing Countries: Recommendations for stepwise implementation
FP has issued statements on professional standards for continuing
professional development, good pharmacy education practice &
pharmaceutical care
Although many countries have already established their own good practice
guidelines, the levels of knowledge about them, the ways in which they are
used & monitored, & the ways in which practitioners learn how to apply them
vary tremendously
A change in pharmacy education
WHO has called for greater involvement of pharmacists in the general
health care system & wider use of their broad academic background
n its statement of policy, FP says that the changes in the
pharmacist's role must be reflected in the basic & continuing
education of pharmacists with a greater focus on student learning
V The new paradigm for pharmacy requires that pharmacists are far more
than experts in pharmaceutical chemistry & pharmaceutics
V They have to understand & apply the principles behind all the activities
necessary to manage drug therapy
n 1999, the European Association of Faculties of Pharmacy (EAFP)
proposed a shift during the pharmacy study programme from
laboratory-based sciences to practice & clinical sciences
A new learning approach
The movement towards the patient care approach has occurred to
varying degrees in some countries such as the UK & the USA
t encompasses care in its widest application, i.e., the opportunity for
pharmacists to change & improve patient outcomes as integral, active
members of the patient care team
However, pharmacy curricula have long been neglected at many
learning institutions, which has helped perpetuate the undervalued
status of pharmacists in the health care sector, particularly in
developing countries
n traditional pharmacy curricula, the emphasis is often on the
technical aspects of pharmacy, rather than on professional practice
A new learning approach
The forces behind the changes in pharmaceutical education
are many & varied, & increasing in both number & intensity
The major economic & political forces affecting the health
care system in most countries are also having an impact on
the practice of pharmacy
As a result, radical changes are needed in pharmaceutical
education
The role & function of pharmacists & pharmaceutical staff
need to be reappraised & the educational outcomes of the
evolving pharmacy curriculum should be clearly defined
Pharmacy education outcomes
Educational outcomes can be used as a new
organizing framework that integrates:
V science,
V professional attributes,
V interprofessional practice,
V professionalism
across new major headings of pharmaceutical care,
systems management, & public health, as they are in
the practice of pharmacy
Pharmacy education outcomes
Education outcomes should include the following:
V Pharmaceutical care with provision of both patient-
centred care & population-centred care
V Systems management of resources (human, medical,
informational & technological) & medication use systems
V Public health assuring effective & quality health &
prevention services & developing public health policy
Curriculum change
The educational change will require not only extensive
curriculum revision & restructuring, but also a major
commitment to faculty development to prepare teachers
to educate pharmacists in a different way
The type & depth of didactic & experiential material to be
included will be different
The amount & allocation of educational resources will
have to change
Schools & colleges of pharmacy should create, establish
& evaluate practice models that could be used within
evolving health care environments
Curriculum change
Courses should take into consideration:
V the needs of the target audience
V learning outcomes
V course content
V teaching methods
V learning resources
V participant assessment
V course evaluation
V quality assurance
PBL
n recent years, there has been a shift in health
sciences education towards a problem based
learning approach
Problem-based pharmacy curricula have been
introduced at universities in a number of countries,
including the UK, Australia, the Netherlands & South
Africa
CPD
n some countries, outcome competencies (Unit
Standards) have been defined against which practice
may be compared
These standards are used to assess health
professionals' knowledge & skills in pre-registration
examinations or in continuing professional development
(CPD)
CPD, including research & reflection on the outcomes of
actions, contributes to the maintenance of life-long
competency to practice
Conclusion
These are times of enormous change in health care & in
the pharmacy profession
At no time in its recent history has the profession been
faced with such challenges & opportunities
The profession should articulate pharmaceutical care as
the major contribution it has to offer to society
Pharmaceutical education needs to develop the
outcomes, competencies, content & process of the
educational curriculum that is required to prepare
students to render pharmaceutical care at the entry
points in the health care system
THANK YOU