As in many developing countries, in TRNC pharmacists
have a distinct role in pharmaceutical care and patient
education since many patients apply to pharmacies as a
primary care in the health system (Gokcekus et al, 2011).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
In the last century the pharmacy profession consisted of
compounding and dispensing medicines. As the
compounding functions were significantly reduced in the
last decade, a new role had to be developed for the
profession (Caamano et al, 2002; Toklu et al, 2011). The
role of today‟s pharmacists needs to be expanded to
include pharmaceutical care concepts, making the
pharmacist into a healthcare professional rather than a
shopkeeper in a commercial enterprise (Van Mil, 2002).
The mission of the pharmacy practice is to provide
medications as well as other health care products and
services, and to help the people and the society to make
the best use of them (Stone, 1998). It involves identifying,
preventing, and resolving drug-related problems, as well
as encouraging proper use of medications, and general
health promotion and education, thus improving clinical
outcome (Nkansah et al, 2010). A lack of integration of
practice standards indicated a need to review the
standards for relevance. Additionally, pharmacists need
to re-evaluate workflow models and the delegation of
tasks in the light of new roles and responsibilities
(Hattingh et al, 2009).
On the other hand, the duration and content of
pharmacy education differs among countries (Al-Wazaify
et al, 2006; Kheir et al, 2008). Although the basic
pharmaceutical couses are similar, the pharmaceutical
care concept has variations in regard to the practice
applied in the region/ country (Bourdon et al, 2008;
Marriott et al, 2008; Sosabowski and Gard, 2008; Kehrer
et al, 2010; Basak and Sathyanarayana, 2010; Sanchez,
2010).
Recently, it has been demonstrated that simulation
centers for health professional schools may offer a novel
method of teaching and evaluating health care processes
at the microlevel (Nickman, 2010).
In TRNC we founded our curriculum on problem based
practical teaching which will provide students to practice
pharmaceutical care and promote rational use of
medicine. Both “Clinical Pharmacy” and “Rational Drug
Use” are mainly based on case discussions. However,
“Rational Drug Use” courses are given by a method
(based on simulated patients and dispensing score
4
)
developed by the „Turkish Pharmacological Society‟
(Toklu et al, 2010). The method enables problem based
learning and it is also used in some of the pharmacy
schools in Turkey (Toklu et al, 2009). The pharmacy
schools should prepare a program that has competence
with the changing role of the pharmacist. The education
should provide ability for critical thinking, improve
problem-solving skills and decision making during
pharmacotherapy. The student should be trained to
create, transmit, and apply new knowledge based on
cutting-edge research in the pharmaceutical, social, and
clinical sciences; collaborate with other health
professionals and to enhance the quality of life through
improved health for the people of our society and as well
as the global community.
REFERENCES
Al-Wazaify M, Matowe L, Albsoul-Younes A, Al-Omran OA (2006).
Pharmacy education in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Am. J.
Pharm. Educ.70(1):18.
Azgin F (1986). Pharmacy Law in Cyprus. [Kibris‟ta Eczacılık Mevzuati]
Lefkosa: Ileri Basımevi; pp 16-17, 164-165. Available from: Kıbrıs
Türk Eczacılar Birliği'nin Geçmiẟten Günümüze Tarihi. Kıbrıs‟ta
Eczacılık. http://www.kteb.org/ecz_kteb_tarih.htm [Accessed: 1
st
May
2011].
Basak SC, Sathyanarayana D (2010). Pharmacy education in India.
Am. J. Pharm. Educ.74(4):68.
Bourdon O, Ekeland C, Brion F (2008). Pharmacy education in France.
Am. J. Pharm. Educ.72(6):132.
Caamaño F, Ruano A, Figueiras A, Gestal-Otero JJ (2002). Data
collection methods for analyzing the quality of the dispensing in
pharmacies. Pharm World Sci. 24:217-223.
Gokcekus L, Toklu HZ, Demirdamar R, Gumusel B. Dispensing practice
in the community pharmacies in the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus [unpublished].
Hattingh HL, King MA, Smith NA (2009). An evaluation of the
integration of standards and guidelines in community pharmacy
practices. Pharm .World Sci.31:542-549.
Kehrer JP, Schindel TJ, Mann HJ. (2010). Cooperation in pharmacy
education in Canada and the United States. Am. J. Pharm.
Educ.74(8):142.
Kheir N, Zaidan M, Younes H, El Hajj M, Wilbur K, Jewesson PJ (2008).
Pharmacy education and practice in 13 Middle Eastern countries.
Am. J. Pharm. Educ.72(6):133.
Marriott JL, Nation RL, Roller L, Costelloe M, Galbraith K, Stewart P
(2008). Charman WN. Pharmacy education in the context of
Australian practice. Am. J. Pharm. Educ.72(6):131.
Nickman NA, Haak SW, Kim J(2010). Use of clinical simulation centers
in health professions schools for patient-centered research. Simul
Healthc.5:295-302.
Nkansah N, Mostovetsky O, Yu C, Chheng T, Beney J, Bond CM, Bero
L (2010). Effect of outpatient pharmacists' non-dispensing roles on
patient outcomes and prescribing patterns. Cochrane Database Syst
Rev.7:CD000336.
Sánchez AM (2010). Pharmacy education in Cuba. Pharm. World
Sci.32(6):696-700.
Sosabowski MH, Gard PR (2008). Pharmacy education in the United
Kingdom. Am. J. Pharm. Educ.72(6):130.
Stone L (1998). Good Pharmacy Practice in Developing Countries:
Recommendations for step-wise implementation. FIP Congress
Report, Hague,
Toklu HZ, Akici A, Oktay S, Cali S, Sezen SF, Keyer-Uysal M (2010).
The pharmacy practice of community pharmacists in Turkey.
Marmara Pharm. J. 14:53-60. Available in:
http://www.marmarapharmaceuticaljournal.com/pdf/pdf_MPJ_242.pdf
[Accessed: 4th May 2011].
Toklu HZ, Ayanoğlu Dülger G, Gümüẟel B, Yarıẟ E, Kalyoncu NI, Akıcı
A (2010). Developing a model checklist for the evaluation of the
dispensing scores in the pharmacy. Basic and Clin. Pharmacol.
Toxicol. 107 (supl 1): 617-618.
Toklu HZ, Dulger G, Yaris E, Gumusel B, Akici A (2009). First
impressions from a short training course in rational use of drugs for
the pharmacologists in the pharmacy schools in Turkey. Value in
Health,; 12(7): A249-A249.
Toklu HZ, Dülger GA (2011). Rational drug use and the role of the
pharmacist. Marmara Pharm. J. 15(3): 89-93. Available in:
http://marmaraeczacilikdergisi.com/pdf/pdf_MPJ_271.pdf
[Accessed: 26th Nov 2011]
Van Mil F (2002). Pharmacy and health care. Pharm. World Sci.24:213.