Objectives. To measure Croatian community pharmacists' progress in competency development using the General Level Framework (GLF) as an educational tool in a longitudinal study. Methods. Patient care competencies of 100 community pharmacists were evaluated twice, in 2009 and in 2010 in a prospective cohort study. During this 12-month period, tailored educational programs based on the GLF were organized and conducted, new services and standard operating procedures were implemented, and documentation of contributions to patient care in the pharmacist's portfolio became mandatory. Results. Pharmacists' development of all GLF patient care competencies was significant with the greatest improvements seen in the following competencies: patient consultation, monitoring drug therapy, medicine information and patient education, and evaluation of outcomes. Conclusions. This study, which retested the effectiveness of an evidence-based competency framework, confirmed that GLF is a valid educational tool for pharmacist development.

Our data underline the peculiar relevance of cancer testis antigens expression in prostate cancers, with potential implications regarding both diagnosis and therapy.

It is likely that the prevalence of active epilepsy in Croatia is between 4.8 and 5.5/1000; this is in keeping with findings from other European countries.

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Understanding important facts about medicine therapy is needed to improve patient safety and therapy outcomes. Media advertising of medical products draws the patient's attention to the importance of reading the patient information leaflet. Despite this, some patients interrupt or change their therapy without prior consultation with a health care professional.