A review of the continuous professional development system for pharmacists

Background The Portuguese Pharmaceutical Society (PPS) implemented a system of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for pharmacists in 2004. This system has evolved throughout the years, and currently all active pharmacists in Portugal are required to participate in the CPD program. Each CPD cycle takes 5 years. In each cycle, pharmacists must collect 15 CPD points, through participation in educational activities. The PPS accreditation process is managed via an online platform, where education/training providers, as well as pharmacists themselves, can submit educational activities for accreditation. Pharmacists may access their CPD status and assess their development at any point. The objective of this study was to analyze and review the educational activities submitted by providers over a 11-year period (2009–2019). Methods Data from activities were retrieved from the PPS CPD online platform. All educational activities were labeled according to the area of pharmaceutical professional focus, type of promoter, and activity type. Results During the study 3685 activities were analyzed. Over the last decade, submitted activities for accreditation increased in 52.6%. A significantly high proportion (98.9%) of these activities has been accredited. Promoters of activities were mostly pharmacies sectoral associations (29.6%), consultancy/training companies (19.6%), the PPS (18.5%), pharmaceutical industry (17.7%) and wholesalers’ consortia (9.0%). Academia represented only 2.3% of the total amount of educational activities. The most frequent topics were related to “pharmacology & pharmacotherapy” (9.9%), followed by “counselling” (9.8%) and “management & administration” (7.2%). The most accredited type of activities was face-to-face (68.9%) and e-learning trainings (13.1%). Conclusions This study shows increasing interest in submitting CPD activities for accreditation between 2009 and 2019, but it also demonstrates that Academia could play a more interventive role in the lifelong learning education of Portuguese pharmacists.

Use of professional practice guidance resources in pharmacy: a cross-sectional nationwide survey of pharmacists, intern pharmacists, and pharmacy students

Background Variations in practice are commonplace in healthcare where health professionals, such as pharmacists act as autonomous practitioners. This is evident in simulated patient studies, where pharmacists practice does not meet widely accepted standards for medicines supply or treatment of an ailment. To promote best pharmacy practice a myriad of guidance resources including practice guidelines, codes and standards are produced by professional organisations. These resources provide a framework for pharmacy practice and endeavour to facilitate consistency in provision of pharmacy-based services to consumers. Despite their role in specifying essential pharmacist behaviours, there is limited research exploring if and how these resources are used in practice. Objective To characterise Australian pharmacists’ use of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s Code of Ethics, Professional Practice Guidelines and Professional Practice Standards. Methods A cross-sectional, self-administered, electronic survey of registered pharmacists, intern pharmacists and pharmacy students living in Australia was conducted in July 2020. Questions considered use of professional practice resources (by resource group) in the preceding 12 months. Data were analysed descriptively. Results Of 601 responses included in the analysis 462 (76.9%) of respondents were registered pharmacists, 88 (14.6%) pharmacy students and 51 (8.5%) intern pharmacists. Interns and students accessed overarching practice resources, such as the Professional Practice Standards, Code of Ethics and Dispensing Practice Guidelines more frequently than practising pharmacists. Pharmacists accessed professional practice guidelines, such as Practice Guidelines for the Provision of Immunisation Services Within Pharmacy, more often than students. More pharmacists than interns and students indicated that they would access guidelines to resolve practice and patient care issues. All resources except the Professional Practice Standards for Pharmacists (67.4%) were accessed by less than 50% of respondents in the preceding 12-month period. Reasons for not accessing resources varied between participant and resource groups, and generally were due to a lack of awareness of the resource or not considering them necessary for the individual’s practice. Conclusion(s) Access and use patterns for professional practice guidance resources change with experience. Professional organisations responsible for developing resources should consider these patterns when designing and reviewing resources and related policies. To ensure resources are meeting the needs of the profession, students, interns, and pharmacists should be involved in the review of and design of further resources.

Abstracts of poster presentations at the 2021 virtual annual of the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences.

In 2021, the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences (CSPS) partnered with he Pharmaceutical Society of Japan (PSJ) and the Canadian Chapter of Controlled Release Society (CC-CRS) and presented its annual matting in virtual style. Keynote speakers included Professor Michael Houghton – 2020 Nobel Laureate, Director of Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute (LKSAVI), Professor, Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, University of Alberta and Professor Yoshiharu Matsuura, Director, Center for Infectious Diseases Education and Research (CIDER), Osaka University, Japan.

Playing Second Fiddle- Harmony Or Timidity?!

In Playing Second Fiddle, Frances vividly narrates how as a female, one can still play a significant and fulfilling role as the sacrificial lamb or ‘second fiddle’ that can eventually open doors for other females to excel or succeed! Using many biblical examples, Frances shows how significant accomplishments occurred through many people who played second fiddle (cannon fodder) roles such as John the Baptist for Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world; Andrew for Peter who later became the ‘rock’ among the disciples of Jesus; or Barnabas for John Mark who became the author of the first gospel in the bible. In her life experience, she was the first visibly Christian Fellowship female to serve as a Hall President in Africa Hall, the only female and only student to complete a pioneering M.Sc. programme in Pharmaceutical Chemistry as well as the first established Ghanaian female lecturer in the then Faculty of Pharmacy (now Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences). Focusing on female leadership in KNUST and in the Pharmacy Profession, the author cites the instance of at least four females including her, (and myself) who were nominated for the post of Pro-Vice-Chancellor in KNUST, but none got elected for the position. Eventually, the next female nominated for the position after her turn was successfully elected and moved on to be elected as the Vice-Chancellor! Apparently, some people must act as sacrificial lambs or forerunners (cannon fodders) for the ultimate to be realized! Her experiences in the pharmacy profession also tell the same story: although the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH) has been in existence for about 85 years, no female has been elected President. The closest is the Vice-President position of which she was the first among the three that have so far been elected; with the hope that eventually a female president will one day emerge! The book concludes with some useful advice to all females who may aspire for leadership positions in the Ghanaian society: such as being assertive, but with decorum; working hard, encouraging and mentoring others, etc. in order to succeed.

Recent updates from the BNF (BNF 82)

The BNF is jointly published by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and BMJ. BNF is published in print twice a year and interim updates are issued and published monthly in the digital versions. The following summary provides a brief description of some recent key changes that have been made to BNF content.

Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain v Boots Cash Chemists (Southern) Ltd [1953] 1 QB 401

Essential Cases: Contract Law provides a bridge between course textbooks and key case judgments. This case document summarizes the facts and decision in Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain v Boots Cash Chemists (Southern) Ltd [1953] 1 QB 401. The document also includes supporting commentary from author Nicola Jackson.

Icelandic community pharmacists' and pharmacy students' expectations of future role extensions and education requirements: A cross-sectional survey

Aim: To explore the expectations of Icelandic community pharmacists and final year pharmacy students on future role extensions and associated education needs. Methods: All community pharmacists across Iceland registered with the Pharmaceutical Society of Iceland (LFI) (n=136) and all fourth- and fifth-year pharmacy students enrolled at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Iceland (n=69). An online cross-sectional questionnaire was designed, validated, piloted and analysed using descriptive statistics, logistic regression and content analysis. Results: The response rate was 27.9% (n=38) for community pharmacists and 33.3% (n=23) for fourth- and fifth-year pharmacy students respectively. Of these, 90.2% (n=55) saw the need for community pharmacists’ role extensions and most (n=60, 98.4%) were willing to accept additional education to make role extensions in Iceland possible. Logistic regression identified that students identified the need for pharmacists to be making prescribing recommendations to medical healthcare professionals (p=0.023); for example “Pharmacists should use their knowledge to give advice and collaborate with physicians and other healthcare professionals about drug therapies”. Conclusion: Both community pharmacists and pharmacy students showed a strong willingness to extend their roles in the future. It will require government support to overcome perceived barriers and to develop further education programmes.

P580 Benchmarking IBD Pharmacy Services to optimise, strengthen and align IBD Expert Pharmacy Practice

Background UK IBD Standards 2019 (ibduk.org) for the first time embed and describe Specialist Pharmacy Services (SPS) as an integral part of the IBD multidisciplinary team (MDT) and enable recognition and commissioning of Expert Pharmacists in IBD (EPharmIBD). The Benchmarking Tool, comprised of the IBD Patient Survey and Service Self-Assessment 2019/2020 provides a benchmark of expert pharmacy practice. Methods The Benchmarking Tool developed by IBD UK to drive quality defines A-D descriptors for all IBD standards (A=’excellent, proactive’ to D=’minimal, inadequate’ care). Descriptors for 4 (7%) standards describing SPS were developed through an e-Delphi process by IBD UK with EPharmIBD representation. Royal Pharmaceutical Society standards and SPS feedback were used to define descriptors for leadership, medicines expert role and MDT working. All UK IBD services were asked to complete the self-assessment between Oct 2019 and Jan 2020. Results 10,222 IBD patients complete the IBD Patient Survey 166 (72%) paediatric and adult IBD services took part across the UK. MDT Standard 46% (n=81/166) of all IBD Services have pharmacist input to the IBD MDT, but only 13% of all adult services (n = 18/134) met or exceeded the standard for 0.6 WTE EPharmIBD /250,000 population. Leadership role 76% (n=98/129) of services with IBD leadership team work with a pharmacist of which 48% (n=47/98) work with an EPharmIBD on the annual formulary review. Of these teams 66% (n=31/47) work with an EPharmIBD on annual protocol/policy review, with actions and outcomes, actively develop pharmacy services within IBD. Medicines expert role Ward pharmacists in 95% (n=157/166) of IBD Services have access to an advanced generalist pharmacist for advice. Of these services 54% (n=84/157) are supported by an EPharmIBD but in only 41% (n=34/84) of these patients and ward pharmacists have access to an EPharmIBD on admission and during their stay for medication review, optimisation and personalised consultation. Conclusion Benchmarking shows a low level of pharmacy IBD expertise in the UK with a minority of services, ward pharmacists and patients having access to an EPharmIBD. Few IBD leadership teams work with an EPharmIBD and a small number of services have adequate EPharmIBDs commissioned. In contrast where services report meeting the IBD Standards criteria for the number of EPharmIBDs, patients responding to the Patient Survey were more likely to be given appropriate information about potential treatments to help them make informed decisions. This highlights the high need for advanced competencies and prioritisation of service commissioning in IBD.The pharmacy profession needs to respond urgently to this challenge to ensure high quality pharmaceutical care for IBD patients.

Mental health curricula and Mental Health First Aid in the MPharm

Introduction Improving mental health care is an international priority, and one that is championed by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. (1) In the course of their work, pharmacists frequently encounter people with mental health problems. The extent to which mental health is taught on the undergraduate pharmacy degree in the UK and Ireland, and the inclusion of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training, has not be described recently. Aim We aimed to determine how mental health teaching is embedded into the MPharm and students’ perception of their own preparedness to help people with their mental health. We explored if and how MHFA training is included, and students’ experience of, or desire to complete this. Methods We conducted an anonymous, online questionnaire of UK and Ireland MPharm students, distributed via networks and social media. Students were asked a series of closed questions about mental health teaching in the MPharm, and exposure to MHFA. We analysed answers using descriptive statistics. We included some open-ended questions to enable students to expand on their answers. We used this qualitative data to contextualize findings. We invited one member of staff from each university to answer a modified staff version of the questionnaire, in order to provide a curriculum overview and staff perspective on MHFA provision. Results 232 students and 13 staff responded, from 22 universities in total. Eighty percent of student participants were female and 70% were in the third or final year of study. Three-quarters of students felt that mental health was not embedded throughout the MPharm. Eighty-percent of students stated that they were taught about neuropharmacology and 44.8% stated that their course included communicating with people about their mental health. One third of students felt that their degree adequately prepared them to help people with their mental health. Twenty-six students (11.6%) had completed MHFA training of which 89% would endorse inclusion of this within the MPharm. Of those who had not completed the training, 81% expressed a desire to do so. Those who completed MHFA training self-reported more preparedness than those who did not, but student numbers were small. Conclusion Mental health teaching remains focused on theoretical aspects, such as pharmacology, with less emphasis on practical skills, such as communication skills that might support interactions about mental health. MHFA was viewed by students as one way to enhance this. Of the small number of students who had completed MHFA, they displayed an increased self-reported preparedness. This could, however, be linked to the environmental culture of the programme rather than the training per se. MPharm programmes need sufficient focus on skills including communication and crisis response that may be required by pharmacists, alongside the fundamental scientific knowledge relating to mental health. References 1. Royal Pharmaceutical Society. No health without mental health: How can pharmacy support people with mental health problems? London: RPS; 2018.

Recent updates from the BNF (BNF 81)

The BNF is jointly published by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and BMJ. BNF is published in print twice a year and interim updates are issued and published monthly in the digital versions. The following summary provides a brief description of some of the key changes that have been made to BNF content since the last print edition (BNF 80) was published.