Pediatric Pharmacotherapy Content of Canadian Undergraduate Pharmacy Curricula

Abstract

Background:

As standards of care in pediatrics improve, pharmacists are providing services to a growing pediatric population taking complex drug therapies. Challenges unique to this population that are faced by pharmacists in everyday practice include the need for suitable drug formulations, variability in pharmacokinetic parameters, dosing errors resulting from incorrect calculations, and a lack of easily accessible and reliable pediatric drug information. As Canadian faculties of pharmacy plan for the transition from baccalaureate to entry-level Doctor of Pharmacy programs, describing the exposure of undergraduate students to pediatric pharmacotherapy can help faculties determine the need to alter their curricula to meet the changing demands of pharmacy practice.

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to describe the pediatric content of the undergraduate curricula of faculties of pharmacy across Canada.

Methods:

Representatives of each of the 9 Canadian faculties of pharmacy were surveyed over the telephone. The survey consisted of 32 questions pertaining to the didactic and experiential pediatric content of the curriculum, including the proportion of students exposed to it, the number of contact hours, and the format in which the topics were taught.

Results:

Although all 9 faculties included pediatric pharmacotherapy content in their undergraduate curriculum, the extent of pediatric education varied extensively. All faculties addressed pediatric topics in required courses, for an average of 14.7 ± 12.1 hours (range 5–40 hours). The topics most frequently covered in these courses were general pediatric principles, immunizations, and common pediatric infectious diseases. At the time of the survey, 3 faculties (33.3%) offered a pediatric elective course that enrolled an average of 32 students (range 20–50) yearly. These courses comprised an average of 31.6 hours (range 30–32) of instruction. In addition to those listed above, the most common topics included in these elective courses were pediatric nutrition, neurology, oncology, HIV, and neonatal care. In 8 faculties (88.9%), students had the opportunity to complete a clerkship in a pediatric institution. However, every year, on average, only 6 fourth-year students (range 1–16) per faculty completed the experiential requirements of the program in that setting. This represents, on average, an estimated 5.7% of the population of a fourth-year class.

Conclusion:

This study revealed inconsistencies and deficiencies in the exposure of undergraduate pharmacy students in Canada to pediatric pharmacotherapy. To address the mandate of Canadian faculties of pharmacy to graduate general practitioners, curricula should include sufficient education in important pediatric topics for all students.