Pharmacy Informatics Syllabi in Doctor of Pharmacy Programs in the US

Abstract

Objectives. To assess pharmacy informatics education, identify current competencies, and develop a foundational set of recommendations. Methods. Accredited pharmacy programs were contacted. Data were collected using a mixed-mode procedure. Didactic and experiential syllabi were analyzed for compliance with informatics competencies in Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Standards 2007. Results. Thirty-two of 89 schools responded; 25 provided syllabi (36% response rate, 28% submission rate). Twenty-seven didactic and 9 experiential syllabi were received. The syllabi contained a diverse mix of educational content, some of which represented pharmacy informatics content as defined by ACPE. Schools are teaching clinical system terminology, applications, and evaluation. Conclusions. Many professional programs are not providing instruction in pharmacy informatics. There may be confusion within the academy/profession between pharmacy informatics and drug information practice. Much work is required for programs to become compliant with the ACPE 2007 pharmacy informatics competencies.

Knowledge, Skills, and Resources for Pharmacy Informatics Education

“…[22][23][24][25][26] The profession appears to have made modest progress in developing and delivering pharmacy informatics education, although misconceptions exist. 8,13,27 The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Technology in Pharmacy Education and Learning Special Interest Group describes 5 domains to structure the incorporation of informatics into pharmacy education. Domain 3 includes using Web-based course delivery methods and new technologies to deliver coursework.…”

“…7,8 The uses of informatics have ranged from improving pharmaceutical care in oncology, to providing clinical decision support (CDS) for antimicrobial stewardship and pharmacokinetics, to containing costs in managed care. [8][9][10][11][12] Pharmacy informatics was actually part of practice long before it was a cogent term or discipline; in fact, even the study of computers and technology to improve pharmacy practice dates back over 20 years. 13 As technologies evolved that impacted the delivery of medication therapy, they permitted a reengineering of the medication use process.…”

An Approach for Some in Advanced Pharmacy Informatics Education

“…Based on prior reviews [6][7][8] and additional evidence, 9 we propose an advanced curriculum outline intended as a guide to train enough pharmacy informaticists over the next decade to support the shift to a systems-supported practice for pharmacy taking place within a Learning Health System. This curriculum outline covers the necessary aspects of the domain of biomedical informatics to prepare enough pharmacy informaticists to participate effectively in four general categories of informatics work.…”

Core informatics competencies for clinical and translational scientists: what do our customers and collaborators need to know?

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] As the field continues to evolve, competencies must be adjusted accordingly. Most efforts to define informatics competencies have been regarding those to be demonstrated by informatics professionals.…”