Mandatory continuing education for pharmacists in a developing country: assessment of a three-year cycle

Hala Sacre; Samah Tawil; Souheil Hallit; Georges Sili; Pascale Salameh

doi:10.18549/PharmPract.2019.3.1545

Mandatory continuing education for pharmacists in a developing country: assessment of a three-year cycle

Pharm Pract (Granada). 2019 Jul-Sep;17(3):1545. doi: 10.18549/PharmPract.2019.3.1545. Epub 2019 Aug 24.

Authors

Hala Sacre¹, Samah Tawil², Souheil Hallit³, Georges Sili⁴, Pascale Salameh⁵

Affiliations

¹ Drug Information Center. Lebanese Pharmacists Association; & Clinic for Epidemiology and Toxicology, National Institute of Public Health (INSPECT-LB). Beirut (Lebanon). halasacre@hotmail.com.
² Drug Information Center and Continuing Education Department. Lebanese Pharmacists Association. Beirut (Lebanon). samah.tawil@opl.org.lb.
³ Clinic for Epidemiology and Toxicology, National Institute of Public Health (INSPECT-LB); & Faculty of Medicine & Medical Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK). Jounieh (Lebanon). souheilhallit@hotmail.com.
⁴ Continuing Education Department. Lebanese Pharmacists Association. Beirut (Lebanon). gmsili@hotmail.com.
⁵ Clinic for Epidemiology and Toxicology, National Institute of Public Health (INSPECT-LB); & Faculty of Pharmacy and Faculty of Medical Sciences, Lebanese University. Hadath (Lebanon). pascalesalameh1@hotmail.com.

Abstract

Background: In Lebanon, mandatory continuing education (CE) for pharmacists was implemented in January 2014.

Objective: The objectives of this study are to assess 1) the overall adherence to the mandatory CE program, 2) pharmacists' preferences related to CE, and 3) barriers to adherence to CE.

Methods: By the end of October 2017, an evaluation of pharmacists' participation in the mandatory CE program was conducted using electronic reports available in the Learning Management System (LMS). Descriptive results were presented as frequencies and percentages. In addition, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among pharmacists to better understand their preferences and barriers to their participation to the CE program. Finally, a focus group was organized with pharmacists who did not start their CE.

Results: Out of all registered pharmacists in Lebanon, 68.30% started their CE and 25.6% already achieved their required credits. Among pharmacists enrolled in the CE system, the majority (69%) used the online courses at least once. Moreover, CE enrolment was similar among old and young pharmacists except for those newly registered. The majority of pharmacists preferred clinical and pharmacological topics, followed by preventive medicine and transferable skills. Barriers to engaging in CE were mainly work and family obligations, lack of interest, lack of time, and difficulties in commuting and technology use.

Conclusion: Although results of the present study are similar to those in developing countries, the resistance to change is higher. The Lebanese Pharmacists Association [Ordre des Pharmaciens du Liban] should develop strategies to motivate and enroll more pharmacists in the CE system, based on the barriers and preferences cited in the results, while continuing to offer high quality and cost-favorable CE programs to Lebanese pharmacists.

Keywords: Attitude of Health Personnel; Continuing; Developing Countries; Education; Focus Groups; Lebanon; Motivation; Pharmacists; Pharmacy; Professional Practice; Surveys and Questionnaires.