The need to advance hospital pharmacist access to education, training, and opportunities to conduct and collaborate with others in producing high quality research, provides a rationale for a Specialist Interest Group (SIG) that incorporates both education and research into its mandate. The European Society of Clinical Pharmacy (ESCP) extended definition of clinical pharmacy states that clinical pharmacy “represents both a professional practice and field of research” and “encompasses cognitive, managerial and interpersonal activities targeting all stages of the medicines use process, and as a field of research generates knowledge that informs clinical decision-making, health care organisation or policy”1.
The relationship between clinical pharmacy research and practice, taken from Dreischulte et al.
The European Association of Hospital Pharmacy (EAHP) Hospital Pharmacy Statements, group education and research together as components of pharmacy practice that are intrinsically linked2. Section 6: Education and Research, of the EAHP statements can be seen below. The HPAI endorse the statements on their member forum and encourages hospital pharmacy departments to aim to achieve compliance with these statements.
Section 6 of the EAHP Hospital Pharmacy Statements: Education and Research
Role and function
The aims and objectives of the SIG are to enhance hospital pharmacist access to/knowledge of quality education and training opportunities and facilitate the conduct and publication of high-quality research in clinical pharmacy practice.
Education
The SIG aims to achieve the following in relation to education for Irish hospital pharmacists:
- · Identify the educational needs of Irish hospital pharmacists and Irish hospital pharmacy departments.
- · Develop a clinical competency framework for basic grade hospital pharmacists.
- · Work with specialities to develop advanced specialist credentialing
- · Develop a database of postgraduate courses, from study days to practice based PhD programmes that are of interest to Irish hospital pharmacists
Research
The SIG aims to achieve the following in relation to research for Irish hospital pharmacists:
- · Identify the barriers to Irish hospital pharmacists producing high quality research
- · Develop on-line and in-person workshops on conducting research in the hospital pharmacy setting
- · Promote and disseminate peer-reviewed published literature from Irish hospital pharmacists
- · Provide a network of peers to support Irish hospital pharmacist researchers of all experience levels
- · As a SIG, publish collaborative research relevant to Irish hospital pharmacy practice
The SIG encourages interested parties to join by emailing the chairperson, Darren Walsh (darren.walsh@hse.ie) to get added to the SIG mailing list.
Contact
Darren Walsh
Email
darren.walsh@hse.ie
Forum
HPAI - Education and Research SIG
References
- 1. Dreischulte T, van den Bemt B, Steurbaut S, the European Society of Clinical P. European Society of Clinical Pharmacy definition of the term clinical pharmacy and its relationship to pharmaceutical care: a position paper. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy. 2022;44(4):837-42.
- 2. The European Statements of Hospital Pharmacy. European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy. 2014;21(5):256.
