Continuing Professional Development Needs of Community Pharmacists in Qatar: A Mixed-Methods Approach

Abstract

Objective This study aims to assess the educational needs and professional competencies of community pharmacists in Qatar to inform the development of relevant continuing professional development (CPD) programs. Methods A mixed-methods cross-sectional exploratory study targeting community pharmacists was conducted using a questionnaire and an event diary. Descriptive and inferential analyses were utilized to analyze the data using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS®) version 21 software. For the event diary, thematic content analysis was used for data analysis. Results Drug information skills and pharmaceutical care process were the most identified topics for inclusion in CPD programs. None of the pharmacists thought that they were competent in core areas of pharmacy practice. Community pharmacists who filled an event diary highlighted the need for development in areas such as communication skills and medication safety. Conclusion The identified needs shall help in developing a CPD program that addresses what community pharmacists perceive as educational and professional training needs.

Management of common minor ailments in Qatar: Community pharmacists’ self-perceived competency and its predictors

“…In addition, the competency element with the lowest median score was the ability to differentiate minor ailments from other medical conditions with similar signs and symptoms. This finding appeared consistent with that of a recent study conducted in Qatar, which reported that some participants in an event diary using critical incident technique could not identify the differential diagnoses of minor ailments that may be out of community pharmacists’ scope of practice and require referral to a physician [ 35 ]. Furthermore, the community pharmacists’ self-perceived competency scores for a sizeable number of the competency elements approximates 80% of the maximum score obtainable.…”

“…These findings are probably due to combination of factors including experiences gathered in practice, exposure to undergraduate pharmacy curricular components including therapeutic and pharmaceutical care planning, and self-care of medical conditions that are minor and can be managed effectively with the appropriate use of non-prescription medicines [ 32 – 34 ]. In addition, these components may also have been critical parts of the continuous professional development (CPD) programs for community pharmacists in Qatar and these may have contributed to the observed self-perceived competency levels [ 35 , 36 ]. Hence, it is probably safe to conclude that community pharmacists are poised to assume the task of the effective management of common minor ailments in Qatar.…”

Evidence of community pharmacists’ response preparedness during COVID-19 public health crisis: A cross-sectional study

“…This is consistent with the qualitative comments that pharmacists require continuously updated sources of information regarding COVID-19. Given that the spread of COVID-19 is unabated, provision of training as part of continuing professional development could be explored further given that community pharmacists have expressed interest in a previous study [33]. Education and updated information for pharmacists were crucial.…”

Perspectives on Continuing Education Programs for Foundation-Level Drugstore Pharmacists in Japan

“…The learning needs of community pharmacists in each country would be different because each country has its own cultural and social background, for example, physical assessment, interpreting laboratory tests, and making decisions about complex drug therapy in Canada [22], leadership, management, and research in Scotland, U.K. [23] and communication, counseling, drug information, and health promotion skills in Qatar [24]. Japanese pharmacists would have their own learning needs.…”