10
views
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
1 collections
    0
    shares
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: found
      • Article: found
      Is Open Access

      Resultados de un programa de prácticas de farmacia en un hospital terciario de referencia Translated title: Outcomes of a Pharmacy Internship Program at a Quaternary Care Hospital

      research-article
      ,
      Farmacia Hospitalaria
      Grupo Aula Médica
      Farmacia, Programa de prácticas, Con base en el hospital, Pharmacy, Internship, Hospital-based

      Read this article at

      Bookmark
          There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

          Abstract

          Resumen Objetivo: Diseñar, implementar y evaluar un programa de prácticas de farmacia dentro de un hospital que cumpliera con los requisitos formativos de los graduados en farmacia y les permitiese posteriormente acceder al examen de licencia para ejercer como farmacéuticos en los Emiratos Árabes Unidos. Método: El programa de prácticas de farmacia fue diseñado como un programa de 6 meses, a tiempo completo, y enfocado a la adquisición de competencias. El desempeño de los participantes se evaluó minuciosamente mediante un método de evaluación continua mensual. Los participantes que completaron con éxito el programa podían presentarse al Examen del Departamento de Salud (examen de licencia) para obtener la licencia de farmacéutico. Se realizaron encuestas a los participantes del programa para evaluar su satisfacción general con el mismo. Resultados: El programa ha capacitado a 53 participantes en los últimos 5 años. Todos los participantes completaron el programa de prácticas de 6 meses. De los 53 graduados que participaron, 45 completaron la encuesta sobre el programa de prácticas. Los participantes manifestaron una gran satisfacción con el formato y el contenido del programa. Conclusiones: La estructura del programa de prácticas en farmacia hospitalaria fue un éxito en sus primeros 5 años de existencia y resultó ser viable y sostenible. El programa se consideró altamente beneficioso para el crecimiento profesional y personal de los participantes y les proporcionó las competencias y habilidades necesarias para incorporarse con éxito al mundo laboral.

          Translated abstract

          Abstract Objective: To design, implement, and evaluate a Hospital-based Pharmacy Internship Program that meets the educational requirements of pharmacy graduates to register as competent pharmacists in the United Arab Emirates. Method: The Pharmacy Internship Program was designed as a 6-month, full-time, competency-based program. Intern performance was assessed through monthly continuous evaluations. Interns who successfully completed the program were eligible to take the Department of Health Licensing Examination. Pharmacy intern surveys were collected to assess their overall satisfaction with the program. Results: Over the previous 5 years, the program has trained 53 interns. All interns completed the 6-month training program. Of the 53 graduates, 45 completed the post-internship survey. Interns reported a high level of satisfaction with the program structure and content. Conclusions: The Pharmacy Internship Program structure was successful in its first 5 years of implementation and was both feasible and sustainable. The program was viewed as highly beneficial for the professional and personal growth of pharmacy interns and provided them with the necessary competencies and skills to successfully enter the workforce.

          Related collections

          Most cited references17

          • Record: found
          • Abstract: found
          • Article: not found

          Pharmacist views and pharmacy capacity to deliver professional services in the United Arab Emirates.

          Background The benefits of professional pharmacy services in improving patient outcomes and reducing health expenditure are well documented. To a large extent, these services are not implemented in many developing countries. Objective To explore pharmacists' perceptions of and willingness to provide professional services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the perceived barriers and facilitators. The current provision of pharmacy-based services and capacity for service delivery were also explored. Setting Community pharmacies in Sharjah and Dubai in the UAE. Methods A 34-item cross-sectional survey was conducted. It assessed community pharmacists' perceptions of and willingness to provide professional services in the future, current service provision and capacity to deliver professional services. A descriptive analysis of responses was undertaken. Main outcome measure Community pharmacists' perceptions of and willingness to provide pharmacy-based professional services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and associated barriers and facilitators. Results Overall, 200 community pharmacists completed the survey. Ninety-two percent of participants thought that it is time for community pharmacists to engage in extended services (screening, medication use reviews, and chronic disease management) provided that adequate training and regulatory approvals are given. The current restrictive legislations and negative public perception were perceived as major barriers to providing extended services, but lack of time and support staff were also considered barriers. Conclusions Community pharmacists held strong positive views regarding future engagement in professional services. Given the compelling public health case for expansion of affordable care, it is timely to expand health services in the UAE by using the untapped clinical skills of pharmacists. Transition towards professional pharmacy services requires support from key stakeholders including medical and regulatory organizations, and public acceptance.
            Bookmark
            • Record: found
            • Abstract: found
            • Article: not found

            Pharmacy in the United Arab Emirates

            Majd Dameh (2009)
            Introduction Pharmacy profession is evolving steadily in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This article presents a brief overview of the profession, and highlights some of the advances and challenges that face pharmacy in the UAE. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries of the Middle East. It is a constitutional federation that was established in 2nd of December 1971. The UAE constitutes seven Emirates; Abu Dhabi (the capital), Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al‐Qaiwain, Ras Al‐Khaimah and Fujairah. It lies between Oman and Saudi Arabia, and has coastal borders on the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The UAE is a rich country and has a gross domestic product (GDP), per capita, of around $49,116 (PPP US$) [1]. Nearly one third of the GDP is attributed to petroleum, oil and gas [2]. The UAE has a diverse and expanding population, estimated to be around four and a half million. UAE citizens however are considerably outnumbered by expatriates (non‐citizens), they constitute approximately only one fifth of the overall population. Seventy four per cent of the UAE population aged between 15‐64 years are expatriates [1]. Expatriates make up the majority of the work force in the country and mostly come from other Arab countries, Iran, South and South East Asia (predominantly from India, Pakistan and the Philippines). The country’s total expenditure on healthcare as a percentage of GDP is 2.6% [3]. It is estimated that 71.6% of that expenditure is provided by the Government and 28.4% is private expenditure. The majority (77.9%) of private expenditure on health is attributed to out‐of‐pocket expenditure [3]. The continuous increased demand due to the large influx of expatriate workers into the country, especially in the past five years, and rising costs of technology are believed to have over‐loaded the publicly funded healthcare services and increased the UAE Ministry of Health’s budget by 4.5% per year [4]. This instigated the Government to invest in the private health sector and mandate medical insurance for expatriates in Abu Dhabi, the largest Emirate in terms of size and population (1.7 million) [5]. Abu Dhabi’s new health insurance program includes three types of policies; basic, enhanced and emergency health policies [5]. By 2007,1.3 million expatriates residing in Abu Dhabi were covered by health insurance [5]. The remaining six Emirates continue to follow the previous health system in delivering healthcare. Whereby, expatriates are required to purchase annual healthcare cards to receive subsidised healthcare services (not including pharmaceuticals). Privatehealth insurance in the remaining six Emirates is voluntarily available to whoever can afford it. Also in recent years, new health authorities namely the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi and the Department of Health and Medical Services of Dubai emerged taking on the management and regulation of health services in Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. This role includes licensing pharmacies and registering pharmacists. The new authorities collaborate and have formed partnerships with several international institutions. For example the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi functions in partnership with Johns Hopkins and the Cleveland Clinic among other institutions [6]. Health and pharmacy services in the remaining five Emirates continue to be under the mandate of the UAE Ministry of Health. Pharmacy and Pharmacists in the UAE Pharmacy in the UAE is rapidly advancing. There are definite strengths in UAE pharmacy for example; the pharmaceutical industry and pharmacy practice has been encompassed in the UAE Federal Law since the early 1980s. The prime legislation that regulates medicines and pharmacy in the country is the UAE Federal Law number 4 of 1983 for Pharmaceutical Professions and Institutions [7]. Pharmaceuticals were among the first products available to consumers in the UAE, which underwent regulation in terms of registering, licensing, and pricing. In more recent years, herbal medicine acquired special attention and comprehensive regulation in the country. In the mid1990s, the Office of Complementary and Alternative Medicine was established at the UAE Ministry of Health to regulate herbal medicines and license pharmacists and pharmacy technicians practicing in this area. In 2007, Zayed’s Complex for Herbal Research and Traditional Medicines was recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine [8]. Last but not least, pharmacy administrative and policy makers are genuinely eager and determined to bring progress and reform into the pharmacy profession in the UAE. On the other hand, there are several challenges that face pharmacy in the UAE. Although the numbers of pharmacists in the UAE are increasing, there is yet a shortage of pharmacists required to fulfil retail, hospital, industry, government and teaching positions in the country. It is documented that numbers of pharmacists in the public sector increased from 60 to 325, in the twenty two years from 1975 to 1997 [9]. According to the latest WHO core health indicators (2002 estimate) the number of pharmacists in the UAE was 1200, while pharmacist density per 1000 population was 0.4 [10]. In saying that, the latest figures published by the UAE Ministry of Health in 2005, state that 531 pharmacists were registered in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi alone. However, there is an obvious shortage and it has been reported that only 4.1% of pharmacists in the UAE are UAE citizens [11]. Also, it is documented that there were only 20 UAE citizen pharmacists in the country in 2002 [12]. Another noteworthy point to mention is that the UAE lacks an independent professional body for pharmacy practice, similar to ones in neighbouring countries;the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society or KuwaitPharmaceutical Association. Secondly, although some aspects of the pharmaceutical legislation are comprehensive, they can only be effective to the extent that they are adhered to. For example the law prohibits the sale of all prescription medicines without the presentation of prescriptions. In actuality however strict observance to the law only applies to some medicines namely male sex hormones, narcotics, hypnotics, tranquilizers and other agents that can cause dependence. A wide range of prescription medicines including antibiotics [13], asthma inhalers, insulins and other anti‐diabetics, cholesterol lowering and anti‐hypertensive medications are commonly sold over‐the‐counter. Also, as mentioned above, very few UAE citizens are pharmacists yet the law specifies that pharmacies must be owned by UAE citizens. As a result the majority of pharmacies in the country are owned by non‐pharmacists. Nevertheless, the law mandates that pharmacy operation and management must be under direct supervision of a registered pharmacist at all times. In this scenario, business orientation rather than professional and quality health care appears to dominate over private pharmacy practice. Most of private pharmacies in the UAE do not use computerised dispensing or keep customers’ medicine records. However, monthly stock balance records of purchased and dispensed narcotics and psychotropics are kept and reported to regulating authorities. Dispensing is mostly carried out by pharmacy technicians, while pharmacists fulfil administrative and managerial roles in private pharmacies. Pharmacist‐led patient counselling is usually limited to the dosage and frequency of the medications they purchase. Occasionally and on patients’ request, pharmacists’ advise patients about adverse reactions and drug interactions with other medications. Patients’ medication reviews and therapy management rarely occurs in private pharmacies. Pharmacists working in hospital pharmacies, especially hospitals under the management of international institutions, get the chance to experience more professional and various aspects of clinical pharmacy. Pharmacy Education Pharmacy education and the establishment of private pharmacy colleges in the UAE began about two decades ago. This was in response to the demand for pharmacists to work in hospitals, at private community pharmacies, and the growing pharmaceutical industry in the UAE and Middle East region. Furthermore, an increasing number of high school graduates were travelling to neighbouring countries namely Jordan and Egypt, to obtain pharmacy qualifications. The first two private institutions established in the UAE were the Dubai Pharmacy College, which was established in 1992, and the Faculty of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Ajman University of Science and Technology, which was established in 1996. The large expenses incurred in recruiting overseas pharmacists and the limited numbers of UAE citizens working in the field of pharmacy led the Government to introduce two additional pharmacy programs at the UAE Higher Colleges of Technology. The Higher Diploma in Pharmacy (DipPharm) commenced at Dubai Women's College in 1997. More recently in 2003, the Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) degree was proposed as a one year add‐ on to the three year DipPharm program. Initially, Dalhousie University of Canada, Purdue University of the USA and Anglia Polytechnic University of the UK were explored for the bench marking of the bachelor degree. Finally it was reviewed by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy (CCAP) programs in 2007. The program entered into a pilot accreditation project with CCAP in 2008. Both programs are on offer exclusively to female UAE citizens, as a step towards increasing the involvement of UAE citizens in the field of pharmacy. However, two more pharmacy colleges were recently established in the UAE. The College of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Ras Al‐Khaimah Medical and Health Sciences University, and the College of Pharmacy at Al‐Ain University in Al‐Ain city. Both were established in 2006, for male and female students of any nationality. All pharmacy courses offered in the UAE are taught in English. The pharmacy curricula include basic foundation and health sciences in the first year. Advanced pharmacy courses; pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology, clinical pharmacy and applied therapeutics, as well as pharmacy practice, are taught in the later years. To date, the Bachelor of Pharmacy degree is the major pharmacy degree offered in the UAE. As of yet, Doctor of Pharmacy degree programs are not offered in any of the pharmacy colleges in the UAE. On average the Bachelor of Pharmacy programs take four years of full time study (150‐222 credit hours) plus required practical experience (ranging between 9‐35 weeks) in hospital and community pharmacy as well as in the pharmaceutical industry [14] . Pharmaceutical Industry The UAE has developed a significant pharmaceutical manufacturing base since the early 1980s. The cornerstone of the UAE pharmaceutical industry began with the establishment of Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries, known as Julphar in the Emirate of Ras Al‐Khaimah in 1980. The industry expanded further in the past few years with the emergence of new companies such as Neopharma in Abu Dhabi, Globalpharma and Gulf Injects in Dubai, and Medpharma in Sharjah. This boost in local production was mainly due to introducing special tax free trade zones such as Dubai Healthcare City. To date, in total there are ten pharmaceutical and disposable medical syringe manufacturing companies in the UAE [4]. Concluding Remarks Pharmacy profession in the UAE has taken presumptuous steps in recent years. A few examples include reassessing competency standards and promoting continuous professional development among pharmacists, and establishing a national medicines information and poison centre. The increased involvement of UAE citizens in pharmacy in the past few years is remarkable. The first female UAE citizen pharmacist, who achieved a Doctorate degree in Pharmacy from a university abroad, has implemented an intervention to reduce antibiotic overprescribing for respiratory infections in hospitals in two Emirates of the UAE [15]. Undoubtedly with these positive initiatives pharmacy in the UAE is predicted to grow and make a substantial difference in the quality use of medicines as well as in the patient care and public health of the country.
              Bookmark
              • Record: found
              • Abstract: found
              • Article: not found

              A Call to Action to Transform Pharmacy Education and Practice in the Arab World

              Globally, pharmacy education is evolving to reflect a more patient-centered, interprofessional approach to clinical practice. In the 22 countries of the Arab world, advancements in regulatory support for pharmacy practice and changes to the health care system have been slower than in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Significant cultural, logistical, and legal barriers exist in many countries, and a consensus approach to accreditation, educational outcomes, and curricula design is lacking. This commentary briefly examines the current state of both pharmacy education and practice in the Arab world, and it highlights recent reports of curricular reform and innovation. Additionally, it provides potential strategies for improving the quality of education and for expanding pharmacy practice to ensure graduates and practitioners have adequate experiential opportunities and institutional support.
                Bookmark

                Author and article information

                Journal
                fh
                Farmacia Hospitalaria
                Farm Hosp.
                Grupo Aula Médica (Toledo, Toledo, Spain )
                1130-6343
                2171-8695
                August 2022
                : 46
                : 4
                : 251-255
                Affiliations
                [1] Abu Dhabi orgnameCleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi orgdiv1Department of Pharmacy Services Emiratos Árabes Unidos
                Article
                S1130-63432022000400007 S1130-6343(22)04600400007
                10.7399/fh.13200
                8c57a7c5-ed3b-4b4f-a950-45ebfb385585

                This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

                History
                : 10 March 2022
                : 08 January 2022
                Page count
                Figures: 0, Tables: 0, Equations: 0, References: 17, Pages: 5
                Product

                SciELO Spain

                Categories
                Artículos Especiales

                Hospital-based,Farmacia,Programa de prácticas,Con base en el hospital,Pharmacy,Internship

                Comments

                Comment on this article