2019 Update to the American College of Clinical Pharmacy Pharmacotherapy Didactic Curriculum Toolkit

Abstract

Introduction The American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Pharmacotherapy Didactic Curriculum Toolkit was created by the 2008 ACCP Educational Affairs Committee to provide guidance to schools and colleges of pharmacy for didactic pharmacotherapy curricular development. The toolkit was revised and updated by the 2016 ACCP Educational Affairs Committee. Objectives In accordance with the ACCP Board of Regents decision to update the toolkit every 3 years, the 2019 ACCP Publications Committee was charged with updating the 2016 toolkit to guide adequate disease state inclusion and depth of pharmacotherapy coverage in pharmacy curricula. Methods The committee retained the competency‐based tier definitions and organization of the 2016 toolkit. Multiple literature resources were reviewed to assess medical conditions responsive to drug therapy for inclusion in the 2019 toolkit. The committee also reviewed the tier designation for all toolkit entries for appropriateness, given recent advances in medical care and evolving patient care responsibilities of clinical pharmacists. Updates to the toolkit were made by consensus with electronic voting when required. Results The 2019 toolkit contains 302 topics, including 94 (31%) tier 1, 133 (44%) tier 2, and 75 (25%) tier 3 entries. There are 26 additional topics in the updated toolkit, including 12 new tier 1 topics that are generally treated with nonprescription medications. Eleven new topics were added to tier 2, and 20 topics were added to tier 3 (including 11 topics in the Oncologic Disorders section). The tier classification of some conditions was changed to reflect current pharmacy practice expectations. Conclusion As with the 2016 toolkit, the large number of tier 1 topics will require schools and colleges to employ creative teaching strategies to achieve practice competence in all graduates. The large number of tier 2 topics highlights the importance of postgraduate training and experience for pharmacy graduates desiring to provide direct patient care.

Knowledge and Attitudes of Student Pharmacists Regarding Polypharmacy and Deprescribing: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Respondents were asked if their school’s non-experiential curriculum prepared them to deprescribe in clinical practice; this was more likely to be endorsed by students that received deprescribing curriculum exposure. The low percentage of students that reported deprescribing as part of their pharmacy school curriculum and the high percentage of content being delivered in lectures highlights the opportunity for growth and expansion of deprescribing education in required pharmacy school curricula [ 22 , 23 ].…”

“…A recent survey of American schools and colleges of pharmacy found that respondent schools spent a median of six contact hours teaching geriatric pharmacotherapy [ 21 ]. As a concept, deprescribing first appeared in the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Pharmacotherapy Didactic Toolkit in the recently published 2019 update as a Tier 1 topic (highest priority) [ 22 , 23 ]. Recently, clinical practice guidelines have developed processes to address the deprescribing of specific agents or classes of agents, however, there is no present guidance applying these guidelines to PharmD programs [ 17 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ].…”

A Scoping Review of Antimicrobial Stewardship Teaching in Pharmacy Education Curricula

“…13 The American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) has a pharmacotherapy didactic curriculum toolkit that provides guidance on the ID topics that need to be covered during pharmacy training. 20 Also, the World Health Organization has a published curricula guide for health care education and training on antimicrobial resistance, including pharmacy education. 21 A review conducted by Chahine and colleagues introduced a model to engage pharmacy students in AMS where authors proposed timing and means of introduction of AMS concepts for pharmacy students, residents and fellows.…”

Preparing pharmacy trainees for a future in research and contributing to the medical literature

“…Elective research opportunities can drastically impact a student's interests and career trajectories. Currently, there are recommendations available for pharmacy curriculum therapeutics courses within the “2019 Update to the American College of Clinical Pharmacy Pharmacotherapy Didactic Curriculum Toolkit”; however, there is no guidance for other areas of study (ie, clinical research) 20,21 . As a result, significant heterogeneity exists across colleges of pharmacy regarding integration of clinical research into the curriculum 22‐24 .…”