gms | German Medical Science

Background/research question: Evidence-based practice (EBP) plays a crucial role in the pursuit of achieving best patient outcomes. Proper training, such as the curriculum recommended by the EbM-Network, is necessary to help implement EBP into everyday practice [1][1]. To advance evidence-based pharmacy practice, training should be tailored according to the needs and scope of practice of the pharmacy profession. To date, there is little published data on the current state of pharmacy-targeted EBP-training and how the EBP competence in pharmacy trainees can be assessed [2], [3].

Objective(s):

1.

To evaluate how evidencebased practice is implemented in pharmacy curriculums in Switzerland and other European countries.

2.

To assess the competence in evidencebased practice in Master of Pharmacy students using a standardized assessment tool.

Methods: The conduction of this project requires a two-step approach.

1.

A prospective, cross-sectional survey targeting providers of evidence-based pharmacy practice training at the undergraduate and postgraduate level can be employed to analyze the current status quo. Question items within the survey should address the offered curriculum content, characteristics of participants and trainees, group sizes, frequency, site, and language of training. The data analysis will be mostly descriptive in nature.

2.

Initially, a systematic search for reviews and EBP-assessment tools will be conducted to identify preexisting, validated tools, such as the FRESNO-Test. Based on the results, a tool that is adapted to the pharmacy student context will be created. Pretests and a pilot test will be performed to evaluate the feasibility of the adapted tool.

Preliminary/expected results, outlook: Outcomes of this study include the quantification and characterization of evidence-based pharmacy practice courses offered in Switzerland and other European countries. In addition, we will quantify the competence in evidence-based practice in Swiss Pharmacy students.

Future Outlook: It is of interest to gain an insight into the status quo of pharmacy-targeted EBP-training programs in in European countries (especially German speaking countries – Switzerland, Germany, Austria). Based on this evaluation, future programs can be customized according to educational needs. A standardized EBP-competence test may be useful to determine and compare the effectiveness of pharmacy-student targeted EBP-courses.

Competing interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.