Annelies Driesen

Flemish Community Pharmacists’ Motivation and Views Related to Continuing Education

Objective:IPSA (Institute for Permanent Study for Pharmacists) wanted to assess community pharmacists’ opinion on CE-related issues in order to develop more tailored CE programs.Method:A survey for self-administration was sent to 1691 community pharmacists. The method of stratified sampling was used to include pharmacists who do not take up CE courses as well.Main outcome measures:(1) Preferences for course formats, topics of interest and opinion on different CE providers; (2) Facilitators and barriers for participation in CE courses; (3) Opinion on rewarding and participation, obligation and willingness to pay.Results:A response rate of 62.8% was obtained after three mailings. Lectures remain the most favorite course format. Topics related to pharmaceutical care are the most wanted. The strongest facilitators for attending CE courses are gathering practical knowledge and keeping scientific knowledge up to standard. Social contact with colleagues and receiving a syllabus are perceived as moderately motivating factors. Most frequently mentioned barriers were lack of time, family constraints, distance to the classes and uninteresting subjects. Around 2/3rd of questioned pharmacists are willing to invest more time in CE when participation would be rewarded. When it comes to opinion on mandatory CE, disagreement exists between pharmacists who take up CE courses and those who don’t, the latter being less in favor.Conclusion:This survey revealed community pharmacists’ opinions, wishes and needs concerning CE. This should enable CE providers to develop more tailored CE programs.

How do pharmacists manage acute diarrhoea in an 8-month-old baby? A simulated client study

Objectives Community pharmacists claim a role in health care based on their added value as counsellors and providers of pharmaceutical care. The aim of this study was to assess to what extent they fulfil this role with respect to the management of acute diarrhoea in an 8‐month‐old baby.

Continuing education programs for pharmacists: No one size fits all

This study aims to profile pharmacists based on their preferences for continuing education (CE) formats, and to investigate whether preferences for formats are associated with motivation to attend courses, preferences for topics and demographic traits. Data were gathered from a survey of 1032 Belgian community pharmacists. Cluster analysis generated three groups. Pharmacists not preferring lectures (cluster one; n = 133) were more likely to be older men, had the greatest interest in distance learning and were motivated by material incentives. Pharmacists interested in lectures as well as workshops (cluster two; n = 595) exhibited the highest intrinsic motivation to engage in CE. Pharmacists preferring lectures but not workshops (cluster three; n = 304) were more likely to be women and disliked active involvement in CE. This study shows that motivation to attend courses, preferences for topics, and demographic characteristics play a role in determining pharmacists’ preferences for CE program formats.

What if continuing education became mandatory? opinions of Belgian community pharmacists

Objective In July 2003, a survey (n = 1032) was conducted on issues related to continuing education for community pharmacists. This study aims to explore specific results of this survey in‐depth. The objectives were to examine how current continuing education courses can be optimised, how much interest pharmacists have in distance learning, and how pharmacists think about mandatory continuing education.

Manejo de las interacciones medicamentosas con beta-bloqueantes: la formación continuada tiene impacto a corto plazo

There is a lack of clear guidelines regarding the management of drug-drug interactions. Objective: To assess the impact of an educational intervention on the management of drug interactions with beta-blockers. Methods: The study had a controlled before-andafter design. The intervention group (n=10 pharmacies) received a continuing education course and guidelines on the management of drug interactions with beta-blockers. The control group (n=10 pharmacies) received no intervention. Pharmacy students and staff of internship pharmacies participated in this study. Before and after the intervention, students registered interactions with beta-blockers during two weeks. Information was obtained on drug information of the beta-blocker and the interacting drug, patient’s demographics, and the mode of transaction. Results: A total number of 288 interactions were detected during both study periods. Most betablockers causing an interaction were prescribed for hypertension, and interacted with hypoglycemic agents, NSAIDs, or beta2-agonists. Pharmacists’ intervention rate was low (14% in the pre-test compared to 39% in the post-test), but increased significantly in the post-test in the intervention group. Reasons for overriding the interaction included limited clinical relevance, refill prescriptions, not being aware of the interaction, and communication problems with the prescriber. Conclusion: An interactive continuing education course, during which practice-oriented guidelines were offered, affected pharmacists’ short-term behavior at the counter in dealing with interactions of beta-blockers. Continuing education plays a role in raising pharmacists’ awareness and responsibility towards the detection and management of drug interactions in the pharmacy.