Cultural Sensitivity and Global Pharmacy Engagement in Africa

Abstract

Global engagement between schools and colleges of pharmacy in the United States and Africa is increasing. For a balanced and fruitful engagement, sensitivity towards the cultural and clinical needs of the people and professionals of the African region is critical. In this paper, we have divided the discussion into Southern, East, Central, and West Africa. General information about Africa, with unique aspects for individual subregions and countries, will be introduced. Stereotypes and misconceptions about the region and the people will also be discussed, along with recommendations for culturally sensitive engagement for pharmacy and other health care practitioners when hosting members from, or visiting this region. The paper is a resource for schools and colleges of pharmacy who are currently engaged or considering future outreach opportunities in Africa.

Predictors of Academic Success in a Nontraditional Doctor of Pharmacy Degree Program at a Historically Black College and University

“…Literature reveals that many African immigrants may also be better-prepared for the rigorous math and science-based curricula of the PharmD program than U.S.-born students due to a "western trend" of selecting highly skilled international students for immigration. 15,16 The combination of perceived need to obtain higher education to circumvent skills mismatches and strong baseline skills may explain why pharmacy represents a choice profession for many African immigrants, and why greater levels of academic success are achieved therein. Additionally, the field is often emphasized within their countries of origin, accompanied by more recent advocacy efforts to grow the profession within these countries.…”

Community pharmacists on the frontline in the chronic disease management: The need for primary healthcare policy reforms in low and middle income countries

“…In LMICs, evidence show that the majority of licensed pharmacists work in the community pharmacy setting. 74 , 75 , 76 A Cochrane review of the effect of pharmacist-clinical interventions in LMICs revealed that PC may improve chronic diseases clinical outcomes (blood sugar, BP and lipids levels, visits to GPs, and hospitalization rates), humanistic outcome (HRQoL). 77 Despite these potential positive impacts of pharmacists' interventions, governments of most of these countries have not officially integrated CPs into their national primary healthcare systems.…”

“…Due to the lack of legislation to support the primary care role of CPs in most LMICs, 76 , 86 there is a lack of recognition of pharmacy services and the CP is not recognized as a member of the healthcare team.…”

Positioning global pharmacy research partnerships to advance health equity

“…Within pharmacy-specific collaborations, important conversations around issues such as cultural sensitivity are happening, and scholars have provided guidance specific to countries and regions of the world. 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 These must be broadened to provide a historical context and a deeper understanding on the complexities of the global health space, including issues related to power imbalances across collaborating partners. Recent calls to decolonize global health 28 speak to these power imbalances and are important reminders for working towards a more equitable and just global health partnership in program design, implementation, knowledge production, and many related issues.…”