Dataset Information

The global pharmacy workforce: a systematic review of the literature.

ABSTRACT: The importance of health workforce provision has gained significance and is now considered one of the most pressing issues worldwide, across all health professions. Against this background, the objectives of the work presented here were to systematically explore and identify contemporary issues surrounding expansion of the global pharmacy workforce in order to assist the International Pharmaceutical Federation working group on the workforce. International peer and non-peer-reviewed literature published between January 1998 and February 2008 was analysed. Articles were collated by performing searches of appropriate databases and reference lists of relevant articles; in addition, key informants were contacted. Information that met specific quality standards and pertained to the pharmacy workforce was extracted to matrices and assigned an evidence grade. Sixty-nine papers were identified for inclusion (48 peer reviewed and 21 non-peer-reviewed). Evaluation of evidence revealed the global pharmacy workforce to be composed of increasing numbers of females who were working fewer hours; this decreased their overall full-time equivalent contribution to the workforce, compared to male pharmacists. Distribution of pharmacists was uneven with respect to location (urban/rural, less-developed/more-developed countries) and work sector (private/public). Graduates showed a preference for completing pre-registration training near where they studied as an undergraduate; this was of considerable importance to rural areas. Increases in the number of pharmacy student enrollments and pharmacy schools occurred alongside an expansion in the number and roles of pharmacy technicians. Increased international awareness and support existed for the certification, registration and regulation of pharmacy technicians and accreditation of training courses. The most common factors adding to the demand for pharmacists were increased feminization, clinical governance measures, complexity of medication therapy and increased prescriptions. To maintain and expand the future pharmacy workforce, increases in recruitment and retention will be essential, as will decreases in attrition, where possible. However, scaling up the global pharmacy workforce is a complex, multifactorial responsibility that requires coordinated action. Further research by means of prospective and comparative methods, not only surveys, is needed into feminization; decreasing demand for postgraduate training; graduate trends; job satisfaction and the impact of pharmacy technicians; and how effective existing interventions are at expanding the pharmacy workforce. More coordinated monitoring and modelling of the pharmacy workforce worldwide (particularly in developing countries) is required.

SUBMITTER: Hawthorne N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2706790 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

The global pharmacy workforce: a systematic review of the literature.

Hawthorne Nicola N Anderson Claire C

Human resources for health 20090619

The importance of health workforce provision has gained significance and is now considered one of the most pressing issues worldwide, across all health professions. Against this background, the objectives of the work presented here were to systematically explore and identify contemporary issues surrounding expansion of the global pharmacy workforce in order to assist the International Pharmaceutical Federation working group on the workforce. International peer and non-peer-reviewed literature pu ...[more]

PMID: 19545377

Similar Datasets

Project description:IntroductionUnderstanding how pharmacy technicians and other pharmacy support workforce cadres assist pharmacists in the healthcare system will facilitate developing health systems with the ability to achieve universal health coverage as it is defined in different country contexts. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the present global variety in the technician and other pharmacy support workforce cadres considering; their scope, roles, supervision, education and legal framework.Material and methodsA structured online survey instrument was administered globally using the Survey Monkey platform, designed to address the following topic areas: roles, responsibilities, supervision, education and legislation. The survey was circulated to International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) member organisations and a variety of global list serves where pharmaceutical services are discussed.Results193 entries from 67 countries and territories were included in the final analysis revealing a vast global variety with respect to the pharmacy support workforce.Roles and competencyFrom no pharmacy technicians or other pharmacy support workforce cadres in Japan, through a variety of cadre interactions with pharmacists, to the autonomous practice of pharmacy support workforce cadres in Malawi.ResponsibilitiesFrom strictly supervised practice with a focus on supply, through autonomous practice for a variety of responsibilities, to independent practice.SupervisionFrom complete supervision for all tasks, through geographical varied supervision, to independent practice.EducationFrom on the job training, through certificate level vocational courses, to 3-4 year diploma programs.Legislation, regulation and liabilityFrom well-regulated and registered, through part regulation with weak implementation, to completely non-regulated contexts.ConclusionThis paper documents wide differences in supervision requirements, education systems and supportive legislation for pharmacy support workforce cadres globally. A more detailed understanding of specific country practice settings is required if the use of pharmacy support workforce cadres is to be optimized.

Project description:BackgroundIn recent decades, there has been an interest in clinical pharmacy practice in Türkiye with emerging studies in this area. Despite the recent emergence of diverse pharmacy practice studies in Türkiye, a comprehensive assessment of overall typology of studies and impact has not been conducted thus far.ObjectivesThis systematic review aims to document and assess pharmaceutical policy and practice literature published within the last 5 years in Türkiye. The other aim is to summarise the expected impact of published studies on policy and practice research.MethodsThe systematic review was conducted according to the guidelines described in the PRISMA Statement. A comprehensive search approach, incorporating Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) queries and free-text terms was employed to locate pertinent literature related to pharmacy practice and policy in Türkiye. The search covered the period from January 1, 2019, to January 1, 2024, and involved electronic databases including PubMed, Medline Ovid, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Springer Link, PlosOne, and BMC.ResultsIn the final grouping, 73 articles met the inclusion criteria and were selected for this review. Among the quantitative studies, majority studies were cross-sectional survey studies. Through the rigorous thematic content analysis seven research domains were developed from the selected literature: drug utilisation and rational drug use, the emerging role of pharmacist, access to medicines and generic medicines, community pharmacy practice, pharmacovigilance/adverse drug reactions, and pharmacoeconomic studies.ConclusionsThe pharmacist role is evolving; however, several challenges remain in fully realising the potential of pharmacists. These include regulatory barriers, limited public awareness of pharmacists' expanded roles, workforce capacity issues, and the need for ongoing professional development and training. Research studies are needed in the areas of generic prescribing, medicine adherence, intervention studies in community and hospital pharmacy practice, and on pharmacoeconomics and pharmacovigilance.

Project description:BackgroundThe world is faced with a chronic shortage of health workers, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated a global shortage of 7.2 million health workers resulting in large gaps in service provision for people with disability. The magnitude of the unmet needs, especially within musculoskeletal conditions, is not well established as global data on health work resources are scarce.MethodsWe conducted an international, cross-sectional survey of all 193 United Nation member countries and seven dependencies to describe the global chiropractic workforce in terms of the availability (numbers and where they are practising), quality (education and licensing), accessibility (entry and reimbursement), and acceptability (scope of practice and legal rights). An electronic survey was issued to contact persons of constituent member associations of the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC). In addition, data were collected from government websites, personal communication and internet searches. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Worldwide density maps of the distribution of numbers of chiropractors and providers of chiropractic education were graphically presented.ResultsInformation was available from 90 countries in which at least one chiropractor was present. The total number of chiropractors worldwide was 103,469. The number of chiropractors per country ranged from 1 to 77,000 (median = 10; IQR = [4-113]). Chiropractic education was offered in 48 institutions in 19 countries. Direct access to chiropractic services was available in 81 (90%) countries, and services were partially or fully covered by government and/or private health schemes in 46 (51.1%) countries. The practice of chiropractic was legally recognized in 68 (75.6%) of the 90 countries. It was explicitly illegal in 12 (13.3%) countries.ConclusionWe have provided information about the global chiropractic workforce. The profession is represented in 90 countries, but the distribution of chiropractors and chiropractic educational institutions, and governing legislations and regulations largely favour high-income countries. There is a large under-representation in low- and middle-income countries in terms of provision of services, education and legislative and regulatory frameworks, and the available data from these countries are limited.

Project description:Background Vaccination plays an important role in the prevention of influenza. Channels that improve vaccination adherence can play a vital part in improving patient care. This study seeks to inform the design and implementation of pharmacy interventions at scale on improving influenza vaccination rates. Aim of the review The aim of this study was to identify key success factors for effective pharmacy intervention design and implementation to improve vaccination acceptance rates in influenza. Methods A systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL was performed to find literature on influenza vaccinations delivered at pharmacies, pharmacist-delivered influenza vaccinations, or influenza vaccination campaigns originating in the pharmacy setting. A meta-analysis using a random effects model estimated the impact of pharmacy intervention on vaccination rates (assessed as relative risk [RR] and 95% confidence intervals [95% CI]). Results A total of 1221 studies were found that met the search criteria, of which 12 were selected for the literature review following eligibility screening. A meta-analysis of studies that contained binary total population and vaccination rate data was conducted on 6 studies, including 3182 participants, the vaccination rate was 24% higher in those who used the pharmacy-based intervention compared with those who used standard care [RR (95% CI) 1.24 (1.05, 1.47)]. Two separate sensitivity analyses were run for the vaccination rate. In participants aged ≥ 65 years, the vaccination rate was 3% higher in those who received the pharmacy-based intervention compared with those who received standard care; however, this change was not significant [RR (95% CI) 1.03 (0.86, 1.24)]. Additionally, a qualitative review showed that more successful pharmacy-based interventions were those with the more active involvement of pharmacists in routine care. This included regular checkup of vaccine status, proactive conversations and recommendations about vaccination, and pharmacy-based immunization programs, with specific vaccination days. In-pharmacy communication rather than passive information, such as through leaflets and posters was also more effective. Conclusion Pharmacists can play a significant role to improve patient treatment, adherence, and outcomes associated with influenza vaccines. Once pharmacy-based immunization is established, proactive involvement of is key to ensure successful program implementation and results. Expanding access for pharmacists and pharmacy intervention to provide vaccinations may increase vaccination acceptance and could be a valuable intervention in patient care. Additional studies should consider high-risk populations to inform optimal design and implementation strategies.

Dataset Information

The global pharmacy workforce: a systematic review of the literature.

Publications

The global pharmacy workforce: a systematic review of the literature.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets