[Translated article] Map of the residency rotations for hospital pharmacy residents in Spain

Collecting updated information on the organization of Hospital Pharmacy specialty rotations in different areas across Spanish hospitals, in order to create a map of residency rotations for hospital pharmacy residents, serving as a guideline and reference for hospital pharmacy tutors.

A cross-sectional, multicenter descriptive study on the planning of residency rotations for hospital pharmacy interns in hospitals accredited for specialized healthcare training in Spain. An online survey was designed and distributed via mailing list by the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy between May and June 2024. The survey, validated and tested in a pilot sample, gathered general information about the hospital, rotations by areas of activity (year of residency, duration, complete/partial modality, shared rotations), external and elective rotations, additional training, supervision and assessment of the residents. Data were analyzed descriptively, including measures of central tendency and dispersion for quantitative variables and frequencies for categorical variables.

The response rate was 86.8%. A basic initial rotation is present in 88.9% of hospitals, with a median duration of 6.5 weeks. Stock management, compounding, and validation and dispensing to inpatients are primarily carried out during the first year, while nutrition and oncology are concentrated in the 2nd year. Outpatient pharmaceutical care, clinical trials, medication evaluation and selection, drug information, and pharmacokinetics are conducted in the third year, whereas management/administration, primary care, and pharmaceutical care in clinical units are undertaken in the 4th year. The most common clinical rotations include Infectious Diseases (70.7%) and Hematology (67.7%). The duration of rotations varies between 1 and 9 months, with many organized as shared rotations, particularly in drug information and medication evaluation. Rotations not included in the official programme are included in 93.3% of hospitals, 91.9% of residents participate in clinical committees, and 22.2% have the opportunity to pursue a PhD.

This study shows considerable variability in the organization of training programs across hospital pharmacy teaching units in Spain.