Design and Implementation of a Competency-Based Training Program for Specialty Pharmacists in China

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Pharmacotherapy
• Healthcare Training

Background:

• Direct-to-patient (DTP) pharmacists require advanced pharmaceutical care and pharmacotherapy skills.
• Traditional training models may not fully address the evolving demands of modern healthcare.
• A need exists for innovative educational approaches to enhance pharmacist competencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, implement, and evaluate a Competency-Based Pharmacy Education (CBPE) program for 120 DTP pharmacists in China.
• To assess the program's impact on pharmaceutical care and pharmacotherapy skills.
• To identify areas of strength and weakness in pharmacist performance post-training.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a CBPE program integrating Case-Based Learning (CBL) and Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).
• Inclusion of both online and in-person educational sessions.
• Cross-sectional analysis of participant performance (OSCE scores) and satisfaction surveys.

Main Results:

• The average total OSCE score was 68.31, indicating a moderate level of overall competency.
• Pharmacists excelled in communication and documentation skills, with one-third achieving high scores.
• Areas for improvement included patient education and care planning, identified through OSCE performance.

Conclusions:

• Competency-Based Pharmacy Education (CBPE) is a viable and promising approach for training pharmacists.
• The CBPE program demonstrated effectiveness in enhancing key pharmaceutical care skills.
• Broader adoption of CBPE is recommended to meet healthcare demands and improve patient outcomes.