Transforming the pharmaceutical workforce in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: a call for action

Mukhalalati, Banan; Bader, Lina; Al‐Haqan, Asmaa; Bates, Ian

doi:10.26719/emhj.19.064

Cited by 8 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, several researchers have issued a call for action to develop strategic plans for workforce and education development, based on the 'adopt and adapt' approach to national transformation needs and the FIP roadmap (FIP, 2017;Mukhalalati et al, 2019). Stakeholders outlined a mismatch between the competencies of graduates, the supply of pharmacists, and the national demand, highlighting the need for competency-based frameworks specific to each country to circumvent an oversupply of pharmacists with no career options (Bajis, Moles, & Chaar, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Upgrading pharmacy education to produce practice-ready pharmacists in Lebanon

et al. 2020

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Background: Pharmacy is a steadily evolving profession that brings about changes in practice, where the pharmacist should fulfil novel expanded roles. As such, pharmacy education has to adapt to these local and international changes and follow scientific progress to graduate practice-ready pharmacists. The authors’ objective is to suggest a roadmap with practical solutions to scale-up pharmacy education in Lebanon and produce practice-ready pharmacists with specialised competencies while curbing the number of non-specialised graduates. Methods: To reach this objective, the Order of Pharmacists of Lebanon (OPL) has considered adopting the post-graduate training system to meet the needs of the country, based on scientific and social development. Results: The Board of the Order of Pharmacists of Lebanon agreed on the concept of the post-graduate training system for all pharmacists registering with the OPL. Consequently, the scientific committee at the OPL, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, developed post-graduate competencies and related activities in two parts (general core competencies and advanced specific competencies), to be applied by academia and pharmaceutical institutions. This project would raise the level of the profession, improve readiness to practice in different fields, and indirectly reduce the number of non- specialised pharmacy graduates. Conclusion: This paper suggests a road map with practical solutions, including core and specialised competencies acquired in post-graduate training and assessed through a licensure examination, to scale-up pharmacy education in Lebanon and produce practice-ready pharmacists. Further work is necessary to explore the applicability of these documents and confirm their validity in different fields of practice.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Upgrading pharmacy education to produce practice-ready pharmacists in Lebanon

et al. 2020

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“…The findings reported in this study offer an important first step in identifying and prioritizing gaps in pharmaceutical workforce planning and development in Qatar, and in encouraging aligned future research in other EMR countries. Such national–regional engagement activities would result in an opportunity to enhance EMR-wide efforts to strategically progress development of higher quality education and practice standards, and would offer an evidence-led case study for other WHO regions [ 23 ]. Moreover, overcoming the identified gaps in this study would ultimately contribute to the successful achievement of the third pillar of Qatar’s 2030 vision, which aims to build a comprehensive world-class healthcare system that is effective, affordable and universally available to all citizens [ 20 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The template was then sent to two contacts from member organizations to pilot the questions. Comments on clarity of the questions and response options available were received and changes were made accordingly before being released worldwide [ 23 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study represents the first national-level research-oriented response in the EMR to FIP’s call for further concerted effort towards national cohesive workforce development and education, following their publication, at the EMR regional level coupled with the local imperatives for alignment with national health and policy visions [ 23 ]. The aims of this study were to: (1) evaluate and assess the current situation of pharmacy workforce, education, profession and system from different institutional and stakeholder perspectives in the State of Qatar in relation to the 13 DG[w]s; (2) identify the gaps in pharmacy workforce, education and practice development and; (3) recommend possible solutions as potential strategies to be included in the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH)’s and College of Pharmacy’s (CPH) at Qatar University (QU) future plans.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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National assessment of pharmaceutical workforce and education using the International Pharmaceutical Federation’s global development goals: a case study of Qatar

Mukhalalati

Ibrahim

Alawneh

et al. 2021

J of Pharm Policy and Pract

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Background The sustainable development goals were launched by the United Nations in 2015. Its fifth goal was describing the achievement of universal health coverage by 2030. This goal reaffirms the importance of investing in the development and training of the global health workforce. In alliance with this, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) has published reports about pharmacy workforce planning in several countries. However, data about Qatar were not included in these reports. In 2017, FIP developed a transformational roadmap of pharmaceutical workforce and education. One systematic framework component of the roadmap is the Pharmaceutical Workforce Development Goals (DG[w]s) that were released in late 2016 and subsequently incorporated into the more comprehensive Global Development Goals1 in 2020, encompassing not only workforce development, but additionally practice and pharmaceutical science development. This study aimed to evaluate the current situation of pharmacy workforce and education in Qatar in relation to the original 13 Pharmaceutical Workforce Development Goals (DG[w]s). The objective was to identify the gaps in pharmacy workforce and education and to recommend evidence-led strategies to be included in both the Ministry of Public Health and the Qatar University College of Pharmacy workforce development plans. Methods Three rounds of conventional Delphi technique were conducted with expert panels of key decision-makers in pharmacy practice from the College of Pharmacy at Qatar University and the Ministry of Public Health, utilizing the FIP’s self-assessment survey. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze and prioritize the identified gaps from the collected data. DG[w] was considered “met” if all the provided indicators were achieved, “partially met” if at least one of the indicators were achieved, and “not met” if none of the indicators were achieved Results The lack of competency framework (DG[w]5), workforce data (DG[w]12), and workforce policy formation (DG[w]13) are three major gaps in the provision of pharmaceutical workforce and pharmacy education in Qatar, influencing other DG[w]s. These gaps need to be addressed by the formation of Qatar Pharmaceutical Association through which academic, practice, and policymaking sectors can work together in developing health workforce intelligence system. Conclusion The results indicated that DG[w]s are interrelated and a gap in one goal can negatively influence others. Results and recommendations of this research will facilitate the implementation of strategic plans across leading pharmacy sectors to meet health needs in Qatar and achieve the third pillar of the Qatar National Vision 2030.

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“…As "there is no healthcare without a workforce", 1 regional policy reports and international organisations have called for immediate actions to address healthcare workforce capacity and development, including the pharmacy workforce. [2][3][4][5][6][7] In recent years, the pharmaceutical profession has witnessed substantial transformation with unprecedented changes occurring within both pharmacy practice, delivery of primary healthcare services, and pharmacy education. These drivers necessitate that educators and policy makers reevaluate the workforce capacities, both quantitative and qualitative, and reshape practice scopes to be able to meet national health needs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A global evidence review of systemic factors influencing participation in pharmacy professional development activities

Al‐Haqan

Smith

Bates

2021

Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy

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Transforming the pharmaceutical workforce in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: a call for action

Cited by 8 publications

References 11 publications

Upgrading pharmacy education to produce practice-ready pharmacists in Lebanon

Upgrading pharmacy education to produce practice-ready pharmacists in Lebanon

National assessment of pharmaceutical workforce and education using the International Pharmaceutical Federation’s global development goals: a case study of Qatar

A global evidence review of systemic factors influencing participation in pharmacy professional development activities

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