A framework to support educational courses for pharmaceutical workforce development

Abstract

Course accreditation is an activity initiated by institutions of higher education aimed to maintain standards of educational quality. The aim of the study is to develop a tool to support the design of accredited professional development courses addressed to the pharmaceutical workforce. The study is carried out at the Malta Laboratories Network - Institute for Scientific Development (MLN-ISD). MLN-ISD provides an academic platform of sharing of expertise, knowledge and skills through course development. A thematic analysis involving a 2-member focus group, consisting of a scientist with experience in regulatory and laboratory field, and the quality manager of the MLN-ISD was undertaken from the requirements for course accreditation as set by the Malta Further & Higher Education Authority (MFHEA) as reflected in the Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF). Themes identified were used to develop the “Course Accreditation Gap Analysis Tool (CAGAT)”. CAGAT is a checklist intended to encompass the list of requirements necessary for course accreditation. The CAGAT was validated by a 5- member expert panel consisting of 2 academic pharmacists, a pharmacist with experience in quality and, 2 members of the focus group then was subjected to pilot testing by 3 fellows from MLN-ISD. The developed CAGAT consists of 6 headings namely: organisation information, course information, requirements and learning outcomes, lecturers and teaching method, delivery of the course and post course evaluation. All members of the expert panel, (N=5) agreed that the CAGAT is easy to use and assists the user to identify missing gaps of information required to provide an accredited continuous professional course. All fellows (n=3) agreed that each section in the CAGAT was met in accordance to the requirements listed for two courses for accreditation. The developed CAGAT assists in the design and delivery of accredited courses intended for the pharmaceutical workforce allowing the sharing and enhancement of expertise in fields such as forensics, medical devices expertise and quality management systems. The CAGAT identifies gaps in the organization’s current management system and the requirements for courses accreditation targeting professional pharmaceutical workforce development.