Analysis of priority thematic areas of the pharmacists’ continuous professional development
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24959/sphhcj.25.370Keywords:
questionnaires; continuous professional development; topics; pharmacistsAbstract
In the context of rapid changes within the healthcare system, the role of the pharmacist is being transformed from simple drug dispensing to comprehensive therapy management requiring new knowledge from specialists. In view of this, the study of the educational needs of pharmaceutical specialists acquires particular importance in the context of the sector’s reforms since education plays a central role in the development of pharmaceutical services.
Aim. To analyze the priority thematic areas of the pharmacists’ continuous professional development.
Materials and methods. A retrospective descriptive and analytical study with elements of the content analysis and cluster analysis using the results of a 5-year anonymous survey of attendees of the pharmacists’ continuous professional development (CPD) cycles was conducted. Data was collected using electronic questionnaires in Microsoft Forms. The questionnaires contained semi-structured and open-ended questions concerning the desired topics for future continuous professional development activities. The responses collected were exported and combined into a standardized dataset. The cluster analysis was performed using VOSviewer 1.6.20 software by analyzing the co-occurrence networks of keywords from the responses. The further analysis of the results was conducted using MS Excel.
Results and discussion. The research resulted in 10 clusters of 57 keywords, grouped based on the link density method. The average frequency of keywords ranged from 6.33 (cluster 10) to 191.45 (cluster 1). Cluster 1 focused on herbal remedies proved to be the most popular. The study revealed the high attendee interest in subject matters associated with clinical pharmacy (pharmaceutical care, rational drug use, evidence-based medicine). Significant demand was also demonstrated for topics concerning biopharmaceutical aspects and quality assurance at all stages of the drug lifecycle. The correlation analysis has confirmed the high internal consistency of the results, and the sustained relevance of the priority topics indicates the stability of the attendees’ priorities focused on safety, evidence, and quality.
Conclusions. The priority thematic areas for the pharmacists’ continuous professional development have been analyzed based on the survey results of attendees who completed specialization and thematic advanced training cycles for pharmacists at the Zaporizhzhia State Medical and Pharmaceutical University in 2021-2025. The most popular subject matters among specialists are pharmaceutical care and clinical pharmacy, biopharmaceutical aspects of medicines, and quality assurance at all stages of the drug lifecycle.
References
Rhoney, D. H., Chen, A. M., Thornby, K., Daugherty, K. K., Churchwell, M., Kleppinger, E., Nelson, N., Sibicky, S., Parker, D., Brock, T., & Stowe, C. D. (2025). Assessing the Current State of Pharmacy Education: A Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats Analysis. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 90(1), 101898. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpe.2025.101898
Zarichkova, M. V., & Mishyna, I. Yu. (2023). Doslidzhennia suchasnykh funktsionalnykh oboviazkiv farmatsevtychnykh pratsivnykiv ta nabuttia nymy navychok, adaptovanykh do umov sohodennia. Sotsialna farmatsiia v okhoroni zdorovia, 9(4), 39–54. https://doi.org/10.24959/sphhcj.23.308
Etukakpan, A., Uzman, N., Ozer, O., Tofade, T., Leite, S. N., Joda, A., Choonara, Y., Mwila, C., Azzopardi, L. M., Mantel-Teeuwisse, A. K., Rahal, M., Darwish, R., Lee, B.-J., Shakya, R., Gallagher, P. J., Moreau, P., Lourenço, L., McKinnon, R. A., & Altiere, R. J. (2023). Transforming pharmaceutical education: A needs-based global analysis for policy development. Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy, 9, 100234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2023.100234
Zakon Ukrainy «Pro osvitu» № 2145-VIII (2017). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2145-19#Text
Postanova Kabinetu Ministriv Ukrainy «Pro zatverdzhennia Polozhennia pro systemu bezperervnoho profesiinoho rozvytku pratsivnykiv sfery okhorony zdorovia» № 725 (2021). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/725-2021-п#Text
Nakaz Haluzevoi rady z rozrobky profesiinykh standartiv ta profesiinykh kvalifikatsii u farmatsevtychnii haluzi Hromadskoi orhanizatsii «Obiednannia orhanizatsii robotodavtsiv medychnoi ta mikrobiolohichnoi promyslovosti Ukrainy» «Profesiinyi standart «Farmatsevt» № 02-23 (2023). https://tinyurl.com/5efe9z27
Nakaz Ministerstva okhorony zdorovia Ukrainy «Pro zatverdzhennia Pereliku tsykliv spetsializatsii ta tematychnoho udoskonalennia za likarskymy ta farmatsevtychnymy (provizorskymy) spetsialnostiamy» № 1347 (2023). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/z1362-23#Text
Avramenko, M. O., Tkachenko, N. O., Riabokon, Yu. Yu. & Bihdan, O. A. (2021). Tekhnolohii dystantsiinoho navchannia na pisliadyplomnomu etapi profesiinoho rozvytku fakhivtsiv farmatsii. Aktualni pytannia farmatsevtychnoi i medychnoi nauky ta prakty, 14(2), 239–244. https://doi.org/10.14739/2409-2932.2021.2.233105
Cooley, J., Frederick, K. D., & Larson, S. (2023). Promoting continuing professional development (CPD) through a novel CPD advanced pharmacy practice experience. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 15(1), 85–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2023.02.012
Bukar, U. A., Sayeed, M. S., Razak, S. F. A., Yogarayan, S., Amodu, O. A., & Mahmood, R. A. R. (2023). A method for analyzing text using VOSviewer. MethodsX, 11, 102339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2023.102339
Ivanitskaya, L. V., & Erzikova, E. (2024). Visualizing YouTube commenters’ conceptions of the US health care System: Semantic Network Analysis Method for Evidence-Based Policy Making. JMIR Infodemiology, 5, e58227. https://doi.org/10.2196/58227
Waltman, L., & van Eck, N. J. (2012). A new methodology for constructing a publication-level classification system of science. CWTS Working Paper Series. Leiden University. https://tinyurl.com/yseua8dc
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 National University of Pharmacy
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
