Teaching Pharmaceutical Care at University Level

Abstract

The practice change and needs of the pharmacy profession have created a shift in pharmacy education. Schools of pharmacy globally attempt to respond to the recommendations issued by the WHO and FIP, by modifying their curricula, especially with the introduction of clinical and social content. However, it appears that pharmacy education in Europe, compared to the U.S., maintains a greater focus on basic sciences. Competency frameworks for pharmacy education and practice have emerged. Their use in curriculum development is extremely important, but to ensure that the competencies are achieved by graduates to enter pharmacy practice, the syllabi must align competencies, educational contents, learning activities, and assessment tasks. The teaching of pharmaceutical care benefits from the use of active learning methods, such as problem-based learning and team-based learning, allowing students to develop skills of communication, teamwork, and critical thinking. Although curriculum integration presents some implementation difficulties, its use allows students to integrate concepts from different areas throughout the curriculum. The use of assessment methods based on student performance, such as OSCE and OSATS, is most appropriate to evaluate students regarding the development of competencies in relation to pharmaceutical care and technical skills.