School of Pharmacy, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, United Kingdom.
Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, 52571, Saudi Arabia.
Int J Pharm Pract. 2024 Sep 3;32(5):413-419. doi: 10.1093/ijpp/riae040.
Digital literacy is increasingly crucial in pharmacy practice, and relevant education and training are required to prepare the future workforce. This study aims to explore the current and planned inclusion of digital literacy education in the undergraduate curricula of UK pharmacy schools.
A mixed-methods approach was conducted with two phases. The first involved a content analysis of published curricula from all 30 UK pharmacy schools. The second phase included a survey based on the Health Education England Digital Capabilities Framework, distributed to academic staff across all pharmacy schools.
Data from 14 pharmacy schools' curricula were included in the analysis, with 10 reporting digital literacy education. Key themes identified from the analysed documents included understanding of health informatics, applied informatics, information technology skills, and the emerging digital health technology. Nineteen respondents from 16 schools participated in the survey; digital literacy inclusion was reported by 18 participants. There was variable alignment of digital literacy competencies with the Health Education England framework. Digital literacy was mainly integrated into existing teaching sessions, predominantly through self-learning (n = 12). Electronic Health Records and remote counselling were the main focus areas within the curricula. Challenges in implementing digital literacy include a lack of expertise (n = 13), and time constraints (n = 10).
The trend towards embedding digital literacy in UK pharmacy curricula is clear, but disparities suggest the need for a more unified strategy. Recommendations include establishing a specific digital literacy framework aligned with professional needs, improving accessibility and transparency in curricula documents, and investing in faculty development.
数字素养在药学实践中越来越重要,需要进行相关教育和培训,以培养未来的劳动力。本研究旨在探讨英国药学学校本科课程中数字素养教育的现状和计划纳入情况。
采用混合方法,包括两个阶段。第一阶段对所有 30 所英国药学学校的已发表课程进行内容分析。第二阶段基于英格兰卫生教育数字能力框架,向所有药学学校的学术人员进行了一项调查。
对 14 所药学学校课程的数据进行了分析,其中 10 所报告了数字素养教育。从分析文件中确定的主要主题包括对健康信息学、应用信息学、信息技术技能和新兴数字健康技术的理解。16 所学校中的 19 名学术人员参与了调查;18 名参与者报告了数字素养的纳入情况。数字素养能力与英格兰卫生教育框架的一致性存在差异。数字素养主要整合到现有的教学环节中,主要通过自学(n=12)。电子健康记录和远程咨询是课程的主要重点领域。在实施数字素养方面的挑战包括缺乏专业知识(n=13)和时间限制(n=10)。
在英国药学课程中嵌入数字素养的趋势很明显,但差异表明需要更统一的策略。建议包括建立与专业需求一致的特定数字素养框架,提高课程文件的可及性和透明度,并投资于教师发展。