Indications emerging from the ongoing International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) in Seoul, South Korea, have showed that there is global complaint with the FIP’s 13 Pharmaceutical Workforce Development Goals (PWDGs) by all five World Health Organization (WHO) regions.
The FIP’s 13 PWDGs, which were developed in 2016, have received support from Twenty-one countries, though with varying degree of complaint, revealed a press release from the conference. The report which disclosed this advancement was titled: “Research, development and evaluation strategies for pharmaceutical education and workforce: A global report” was launched today at the World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
The statement noted that case studies from the following countries can be found in the publication: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Great Britain, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Namibia, Paraguay, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Uganda, UAE, USA, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The document, intended as a tool for FIP member organisations to support the adoption of the PWDGs, contains evidence-based expert recommendations, such as on strategies for advancing the workforce agenda.
It also highlights that global engagement is needed to make research, development and evaluation strategies the critical next step in workforce development. In particular, it promotes more routine use of technology-driven education and discusses better ways of evaluating this.
The Congress assured pharmacists of better global progress in pharmacy workforce: “This publication is a starting point for a global discussion on how to achieve progress on workforce development goals through evidence, evaluation and progressive policy planning. FIP encourages global leaders in professional education research, in addition to leadership bodies and universities, to contribute to the process of identifying a global agenda for workforce development,” said Professor Ian Bates, FIP Education development team director.”