The WHO UNESCO FIP Pharmacy Education Taskforce

Abstract

Pharmacists' roles are evolving from that of compounders and dispensers of medicines to that of experts on medicines within multidisciplinary health care teams. In the developing country context, the pharmacy is often the most accessible or even the sole point of access to health care advice and services.Because of their knowledge of medicines and clinical therapeutics, pharmacists are suitably placed for task shifting in health care and could be further trained to undertake functions such as clinical management and laboratory diagnostics. Indeed, pharmacists have been shown to be willing, competent, and cost-effective providers of what the professional literature calls "pharmaceutical care interventions"; however, internationally, there is an underuse of pharmacists for patient care and public health efforts. A coordinated and multifaceted effort to advance workforce planning, training and education is needed in order to prepare an adequate number of well-trained pharmacists for such roles.Acknowledging that health care needs can vary across geography and culture, an international group of key stakeholders in pharmacy education and global health has reached unanimous agreement that pharmacy education must be quality-driven and directed towards societal health care needs, the services required to meet those needs, the competences necessary to provide these services and the education needed to ensure those competences. Using that framework, this commentary describes the Pharmacy Education Taskforce of the World Health Organization, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the International Pharmaceutical Federation Global Pharmacy and the Education Action Plan 2008–2010, including the foundation, domains, objectives and outcome measures, and includes several examples of current activities within this scope.

A Comparison of Patient-Centered Care in Pharmacy Curricula in the United States and Europe

“…38,39 The FIP and WHO are attempting to improve the quality of pharmacy curricula via competency-based education. [40][41][42][43] Although the definition of a competency framework is important, it may not be sufficient. To achieve the new required professional competencies, disciplines and course contents have to be adapted to patient-centered care practice.…”

The changing face of pharmacy practice and the need for a new model of pharmacy education

“…It will be actively and continuously monitored by the Taskforce to assess progress toward the overreaching goal; that is, disseminating evidence-based guidance and frameworks that facilitate the development of pharmacy education (and higher education capacity) to enable sustainability of a pharmacy workforce appropriately skilled to provide pharmaceutical services. 26 …”

“…26 The duration and content of pharmacy education differs among countries. 27,28 Although the basic pharmaceutical courses are similar, the pharmaceutical care concept has variations with regard to the practice applied in the region/country.…”

Meeting the Needs of Underserved Patients in Western Kenya by Creating the Next Generation of Global Health Pharmacists

“…2 The International Pharmaceutical Federation's (FIP) guidance promotes improving pharmacists' education by shifting the focus from the product to the patient through creation of a curriculum that addresses the needs of the population. 3 The importance of training, combined with Purdue University's interest in addressing the health needs of underserved populations all over the world, served as the primary motivation for the creation of a global health pharmacy residency.…”