Background: Time-tabled curricular contents and syllabi reflect the actual delivery of the academic programme and one of key quality components in healthcare professional education. There is a need of global evidence base of Initial Pharmacy Education and Training (IPET) curricula for assisting the advancement of IPET globally. Objectives: To seek the differences and similarities among IPET curricula and to explore relative trends and weighting of IPET curricula globally. Methods: Sample curricular documents were collected purposively either through a parallel survey study investigating the structures and processes of IPET globally in collaboration with the International Pharmaceutical Federation Education (FIPEd), or through research team network. Collected textual documents containing IPET curricular contents were analysed by a mixed approach of the comparative content and framework analyses, using curriculum clusters in a guideline from the PHARMINE project. Results: IPET curricular documents were collected from 16 countries and territories. The study showed study years spent in the IPET years range from four to six years, and a sample mean of average syllabus time spent per year is 728 hours/year (excluding outlier). There was a biggest variance in the pharmacy practice cluster (PRAC) among samples, ranging from 49.3 to 12.8%, showing a significant negative correlation with the chemical science cluster (CHEM) g = -0.77 (p<.0001). Categorised further into three curricular content groups, the study identified that there was variances in a tendency of the curricular orientation of science or practice-focus between countries. Conclusion: The study allowed a first global comparison of IPET curricula from all WHO regions, which provided a better understanding of current IPET practice and delivery across nations and established evidence base to address challenges and gaps for further improvement of IPET curriculum in any country. Article Type: Original Research

Objectives This qualitative study explored public and prescriber awareness of pharmaceutical pollution in the water environment and eco-directed sustainable prescribing (EDSP) as a mitigation strategy to reduce the environmental impact of prescribing in Scotland. Design Focus groups explored prescriber and public perceptions of the topic. Common questions were asked through semistructured facilitation. Focus groups were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim using an artificial intelligence system, then anonymised and thematically analysed using NVivo software. Data were iteratively analysed using the one sheet of paper technique. Setting Public focus groups were held in-person (Inverness, Scotland, April 2023), and prescriber focus groups were held virtually (MS Teams, August 2023). Participants Nine public representatives and 17 NHS Scotland prescribers participated in one of four focus groups. Purposive and opportunistic sampling approaches were used to recruit participants through social media and other channels (ie, community groups, professional emails, general practitioner and hospital flyers). Prescriber representatives registered interest through an online survey to gather information about their professional background. Responses were reviewed to ensure representation of a mixture of medical backgrounds, experience, sectors and health boards. Results There is growing awareness among the public and healthcare professionals of pharmaceutical pollution in the environment, but further education is required on the drivers, potential effects and possible interventions. Suggestions for more sustainable healthcare included public health awareness campaigns, better provision for pharmacy take-back schemes, clear medicine/packaging labelling, regular medicines reviews and more considered patient-centred care. From the prescriber perspective, EDSP resonated well with current sustainability initiatives (eg, Realistic Medicine, switching to dry-powder inhalers), but barriers to EDSP included lack of knowledge, confidence, time and resources to implement changes. Although the public representatives were generally open to the concept of EDSP, this decision required weighing pros/cons considering personal health choices, information accessibility and transparency, and trust in and time with prescribers. Conclusions This study identified new insights from prescribers and the public related to the concept of, and barriers to, EDSP in Scotland, as well as perspectives regarding knowledge support tools and information communication. Cross-sector and transdisciplinary collaborative approaches are needed to address the challenges identified here. Nonetheless, EDSP merits further exploration in developing more sustainable, appropriate and effective healthcare which contributes to improved public and planetary health.

With the currently accelerating changes in pharmacists' roles in Saudi Arabia, evidence-based developmental tools are required to guide initial pharmacy education and define competencies for early career (foundation level) pharmacists' progression. This study aimed to develop a profession-wide competency framework for foundation level pharmacists in Saudi Arabia using the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Global Competency Framework (GbCF) as the source framework. An online nominal group technique was used to develop consensus on a profession-wide national competency framework in Saudi Arabia. Purposive sampling was used to recruit experts from local various pharmacy sectors. A combination of self-administered surveys and online meetings was used to measure and develop consensus. The survey items were adopted from the FIP GbCF version 2. Nine pharmacy experts participated in five iterative rounds of consensus measurement and development between July and November 2021. Consensus was achieved on appropriateness to Saudi pharmacy practice for all the behaviours in the "Pharmaceutical Public Health," "Pharmaceutical Care," and "Professional/Personal" clusters. The "Organisation and Management" cluster caused most differences of opinion. The final consensus generated a list of 125 behavioural statements for inclusion in the national competency framework. This study proposes the first competency framework for foundation level pharmacists in Saudi Arabia. The developed framework represents a consensus on competencies for foundation level pharmacists working across all pharmacy sectors and is eligible for supporting further improvement of initial pharmacy education and support excellence in pharmacists' performance to address the country's needs from pharmaceutical services.

Pharmacy education and training is fundamental in supplying the pharmacy workforce with adequate numbers and correct competencies to provide relevant pharmaceutical care