Association of education background with clinical pharmacists’ clinical pharmacy workload in tertiary hospitals of China

Abstract

Background Workload of healthcare providers may affect the quality of healthcare. Practical evidences have indicated that healthcare providers are differentially associated with workload due to their different education and training background. Clinical pharmacists are an indispensable part of medical teams. Under the precondition that clinical pharmacists in China generally undertake uneven clinical pharmacy workload, the relationship of workload and clinical pharmacists’ different education backgrounds remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the association between the education background of clinical pharmacists and their clinical pharmacy workload in China. Methods A field questionnaire survey using a stratified sampling was conducted to gather data on education background and clinical pharmacy workload through a self-developed instrument. Ordinary least squares regression was used to evaluate the association of the participants’ education background with their clinical pharmacy workload. Results A total of 625 clinical pharmacists from 311 tertiary hospitals in China participated. Two levels of education: less than bachelor’s degree in general pharmacy, or doctoral degree in clinical pharmacy was associated significantly with clinical pharmacy workload of the participants. Participants who had credentials of national level and provincial-level specialized training for clinical pharmacists had undertaken more work than those without. Moreover, the participants’ specialized field, such as respiratory medicine and nephrology, was associated with their clinical pharmacy workload. Conclusion Enhancing several aspects of education or training among clinical pharmacists in tertiary hospitals in China may help improve their capability to provide clinical pharmacy services. Efforts are needed to improve the education and training system of clinical pharmacists in China.

“Access to pharmacy services is difficult in China”: a qualitative study from the perspective of transplant recipients to explore their expectations

“…This underscores that transplant recipients exhibit a high potential for accepting pharmacy services and harbor elevated expectations, thereby establishing a fundamental foundation for the development of organ transplant pharmacy services [ 7 , 24 ]. In recent years, with the transition of pharmacy services to a “patient-centered” approach, the role of pharmacists in China has evolved from merely dispensing medications to directly providing services to patients [ 25 ]. This shift in focus has stimulated specific patient populations, such as organ transplant recipients, to express heightened demands and expectations for pharmaceutical services.…”

Evaluating clinical pharmacists’ involvement in postoperative acute pain services: a multicenter survey in Guangdong Province, China

“…Providing comprehensive and specialized training is imperative while implementing the appropriate and pertinent management systems to address this issue. This would empower clinical pharmacists to improve their knowledge of postoperative pain management within tertiary hospitals in China ( Sun et al, 2022 ).…”

“…Providing comprehensive and specialized training is imperative while implementing the appropriate and pertinent management systems to address this issue. This would empower clinical pharmacists to improve their knowledge of postoperative pain management within tertiary hospitals in China (Sun et al, 2022). Clinical pharmacists play a crucial and multifaceted role in postoperative pain management, including various essential tasks, such as pain management education, pain assessment, developing analgesic plans, monitoring treatment effectiveness, and detecting adverse reactions (Xie et al, 2023).…”