Comparison of publication rates for basic sciences versus practice from pharmacy-based grant programs

The future of a profession in an era of scarce resources depends on maintaining a focus on science. The times demand that pharmacy practice examine its commitment to science. To address this concern, pharmacy practice-based research awards from the American College of Clinical Pharmacy Research Institute Award Program, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Research and Education Foundation Grant Program, and American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy New Investigator Program were compared with basic sciences awards from the American Association Colleges of Pharmacy New Investigator Program from their inception to 1991 to determine the percentage of awarded grants successfully published (publication rate). Pharmacy practice published awarded grants at 46% (70/154) versus 62% (26/42) for basic sciences (p = 0.09). A significant decline of 37% in pharmacy practice publication rate was observed over the study period. Economically, an average of $11,393 was spent to publish one manuscript in pharmacy practice versus $8077 in basic sciences. The results suggest that pharmacy practice should redefine a paradigm of commitment to scholarship to provide firm evidence for supporting science and sustaining professional growth.