IPSF conducts original research on issues relevant to the profession and education to engage pharmacy students in scientific research. IPSF research is one of the most successful and widely-conducted and is conducted in collaboration with other international organisations, furthermore the findings are regularly shared with international organisations such as the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and World Health Organization (WHO). Moving on projects are the main research projects conducted by iPSF amongst others.
Moving On is a series of original, questionnaire-based research projects that IPSF conducts on an international scale. Named after the inaugural proposal “Moving On – Practising what we preach” which was presented to IPSF at the 47th Congress in Cairo, Egypt (Aug 2001), the projects are a platform and strong evidence base to address pertinent issues in pharmacy education and workforce development.
Project findings are published in academic media and presented at international conferences. The research is conducted in collaboration with the School of Pharmacy, University of London.
Moving On I – Academic Mobility
Exchange of knowledge and skills through the international exchange of academics
At the 48th IPSF Congress in Budapest, Hungary (Aug 2002), students participating in the Education Forum decided to study why academic teachers do not engage more in worldwide mobility. Such exchange is vital to generate novel ideas, practices, cultural diversity and practices, in order to promote positive changes in pharmacy education and for pharmacy to progress globally as a profession. Pharmacy education has great influence on professional development and the role of a pharmacist and thus factors that can be utilised to enhance it should be identified.
162 academics from 24 countries participated in this study conducted in 2002-03. Results have been published!
Article title : Academic Mobility in Pharmacy Faculty: An Exploratory Study
Authors : Annemiek A.P. Bosman, Helga Gardarsdóttir, Linda Härmark, Luís Miguel Lourenço, Tana Wuliji, Ian Bates, Sarah Carter
Journal : Pharmacy Education
Details : Pharmacy Education 2007; 7(2):177-181
Publisher : Taylor and Francis
Moving On I in a nutshell – View a scientific poster of the study here.
Download a booklet on the preliminary project results here.
Moving On II – The Student Learning Experience
Pharmacy students are moving on, but how was the journey?
There is much interest in standards of pharmacy education as health policy-makers focus more on the greater use of pharmacy practitioners. Curriculum design and delivery are as important as curriculum content for effective learning. As students are most directly affected by the system, their input is important in making informed, justified decisions in the development of educational policies and practices. It is thus of interest to survey the student learning experience for the construction of an evidence base for educational development.
MO II allows world-wide comparisons of the learning experiences of students enrolled in pharmacy programs. It is the first to make international comparisons in the field of pharmacy education and is the largest study of its type to date. Data collected will be used as a tool for education advancement.
Data collection concluded in May 2007 after two years. More than 10000 responses from 30 countries were received. Final analysis, results publication and discussion on the future of the project are in progress. Interim results have been published.
Article title : Pharmacy students are moving on – but how was the journey?
Authors : Zhining Goh, Luís Miguel Lourenço, Lesley Zwicker, Tana Wuliji, Sarah Carter
Journal : International Pharmaceutical Journal
Details : IPJ 2007; 22(1):23-26
Download the article here.
Download the interim project slides here.
Moving On III – Migration Intentions of Pharmacy Students
East or West- defining factors that influence migration
9th UNESCO Non-Governmental Organizations Collective Consultation on Higher Education, Paris, France, April 2005 that the ‘brain drain’ was a barrier to achieving progress in all areas of sustainable development. There is little information on the migration of pharmacists worldwide as most of the attention and research has been focused on physicians and nurses.
Moving on III is a collaborative research between IPSF, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and the School of Pharmacy, University of London. It aims to determine factors in the education and environment of pharmacy students that influence their desire to migrate. A pilot study has been conducted to develop a questionnaire with greater applications across all disciplines. The questionnaire will be the research tool that can be used in the future to examine the migration intentions of students from other fields. Opportunities to improve workforce retention and conditions can hence be identified.
For more information about the project and to take part in it you may contact Ms Tana Wuliji at Tana@fip.org.
Do you have any topics in mind that IPSF could conduct research on? Wish to get involved in a Moving On project or to find out more? Contact the IPSF Chairperson of Pharmacy Education at education@ipsf.org.
International Patterns of Tobacco Use among Pharmacy Students
Participants of the 50th IPSF Congress in Halifax, Canada (July 2004) were surveyed about their tobacco use, the policies of the students’ associations they represented to have smoke-free events, and training they receive to provide advice about smoking cessation. 147 out of 210 pharmacy students from 30 countries completed the survey. Results were published in 2005.
Article title : Tobacco Use among Pharmacy Students: An International Survey
Journal : Pharmacy Education
Details : Pharmacy Education 2005; 5(2):131-135
Publisher : Taylor and Francis
View a scientific poster of the survey results here.
Medical and Pharmacy Students’ Attitudes towards Interdisciplinary Education
As interdisciplinary collaboration between healthcare professions is widely held to be beneficial for healthcare, interdisciplinary education is a logical preparation stage to encourage student practitioners to learn and work together. Conducted by IPSF, the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) and the European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (EPSA), this project sought to compare attitudes towards this subject.
1052 medical and pharmacy students from 69 countries completed the project survey tool in 2005. Results are awaiting publication.