Integrating Social Care into Pharmacy Interprofessional Education Through Holistic Collaborative Learning.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Social Determinants of Health
• Interprofessional Education

Background:

• Pharmacy education is evolving to incorporate social care principles, driven by a need to address social determinants of health (SDOH).
• UK initiatives like updated General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) standards and National Health Service (NHS) programs emphasize holistic, patient-centered care.
• Global frameworks from the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) advocate for multidisciplinary collaboration in healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the integration of social care into pharmacy education.
• To highlight an interprofessional education (IPE) workshop model developed by University College London (UCL) and London Metropolitan University.
• To foster a generation of pharmacists equipped to address health inequalities and drive social change.

Main Methods:

• An interprofessional education (IPE) workshop model involving Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) students and MSc students from Public Health and Health & Social Care Leadership & Management.
• Collaborative, case-based learning in mixed-discipline groups.
• Alignment with institutional frameworks: UCL's inclusivity framework and London Metropolitan University's Education for Social Justice Framework (ESJF).

Main Results:

• Students identified unmet social needs and developed holistic interventions.
• Participants reflected on the impact of social care on clinical outcomes, healthcare costs, and health equity.
• The IPE model successfully integrated social care principles into pharmacy training.

Conclusions:

• Integrating social care into pharmacy education, particularly through IPE, is crucial for addressing SDOH and reducing health inequities.
• This approach prepares pharmacists to be agents of social change, moving beyond regulatory compliance.
• The developed IPE model provides a practical framework for enhancing pharmacy curricula globally.