Development and implementation of an integrated framework for undergraduate pharmacy training in maternal and child health at a South African university
Loading...
Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MPDI
Abstract
The South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) regulates undergraduate pharmacy education
and pharmacy practice. The SAPC Good Pharmacy Practice manual describes the role of pharmacists
in maternal and child health (MCH) in line with the recommendation of international health regulatory bodies. However, baseline study findings in 2017 supported literature from around the world
that indicated a need for curriculum review and integration to address the knowledge and skills
gap in pharmacists’ MCH training. This paper describes the development and implementation of an
integrated framework for MCH training across the four years of a Bachelor of Pharmacy program.
The intervention included didactic lectures, skills practical on infant growth assessment, and an
experiential learning component at primary health care clinics and pharmacies. Knowledge and skills
assessment on contraception, maternal and antenatal care, and neonatal and child care were carried
out pre, eight weeks post, and two years post intervention using the same questionnaire. ANOVA
and post hoc analyses showed that participants’ knowledge and skills increased post intervention
but decreased significantly two years later except in contraception where students experienced longitudinal integration of the MCH component. Generally, participants performed above the university
average except in maternal and antenatal care.
Description
Keywords
Curriculum, Undergraduate pharmacy students, Skills and attitude, Pharmacy education, South African university
Citation
Egieyeh, E. O. et al. (2021). Development and implementation of an integrated framework for undergraduate pharmacy training in maternal and child health at a South African university. Pharmacy, 9(4), 163. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy9040163