PHARMACOGENOMIC education in Australian pharmacy programs has room for improvement, researchers believe.
In a paper published in Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy, researchers from the University of Queensland School of Pharmacy, found that while most registrable pharmacy programs in Australia incorporated pharmacogenomic content as part of their curricula, "the scope of training is limited".
The authors noted that pharmacogenomics has been "a rapidly growing field which promises personalised, more effective medications tailored to genetic information".
"The application of genomic data to improve patient outcomes is becoming increasingly prevalent," they said.
"Given this change, it is important that pharmacists are equipped with the appropriate skills needed to implement pharmacogenomics into clinical care.
"We found that more than half of the programs included basic genetics teaching within their curricula.
"Approximately the same number of programs incorporated pharmacogenomics content into other science-related courses, or as a standalone course.
"Upon further analysis into the specific teachings of each course, the extent of pharmacogenomic training appears to be limited in scope.
"If pharmacogenomic-based medication management is more commonly incorporated into clinical practice, future pharmacists in Australia may require further training to implement related services in clinical care.
"Revision of pharmacy degree curricula and continuing professional education is therefore required.
"We suggest, as a first step, to incorporate pharmacogenomic concepts into National Competency Standards Framework for Pharmacists in Australia."
While noting that "the sparse amount of pharmacogenomic evidence for changes in clinical outcomes is a major barrier to implementation", the authors said, "it's likely to be only a matter of time until the pharmacist workforce is called upon to provide such pharamcogenomic services".
"This suggests that training the pharmacist workforce in advance would be prudent," they said.
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