Attending a Blended In-Service Management Training in a Public Health System: Constraints and Opportunities for Pharmacists and Health Services

Impact of a Pharmacy Management Course for Pharmacists Working Within Brazil's Public Health System

Objective. To assess the impact of a continuing education course that focused on the development of management competencies on pharmacists working in Brazil's public health system.Methods. A specialization blended in-service course (360 hours) entitled Pharmaceutical Service and Access to Medicine Management was offered to pharmacists working within the Brazilian public health system. Data on course outcomes were collected through individual interviews with pharmacists who worked in the Brazilian public health system, as well as from focus groups and records of researchers' observations. The analysis was based on models of learning and training evaluation theory.Results. The findings showed proximal outcomes on students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes; behavioral changes; and programmatic outcomes in the organization and management of health services, promoting the recognition and integration of the "pharmaceutical services division" - a dedicated sector within the health departments in municipalities and states. The inputs (course content, structure, and in-service hands-on activities) were directly linked to the outcomes reported by participants and helped them to overcome some of the barriers to using knowledge and skills in the workplace.Conclusion. A well-structured course including leaning activities to intervene in the workplace had a positive impact on pharmacists' behavior and contributed to the capacity building of the organizations in which they operate.

A Comprehensive Understanding of the Use of e-Learning in Continuing Education: Experiences of Pharmacists in a Public Health System

INTRODUCTION

The health and education sectors have experienced rapid technological development. In this scenario, the use of Internet technology has grown as an option for the expansion of continuing education (CE), as it allows professionals to develop educational activities with flexibility, autonomy, and convenience. E-learning has gained popularity and currently, thousands of online courses are being offered. However, studies of e-learning in professional training have presented only a few specific foci of study.

OBJECTIVE

to develop a comprehensive approach to understand both the experience and the complex scenario of the use of e-learning in the CE for pharmacists.

METHOD

Field research in 10 Brazilian states through interviews and focus groups with alumni of a CE e-learning specialization course for pharmacists in public health. Data analysis used the model of socio-technical systems and was based on a framework with the components Objectives, People, Processes, Culture, Technology, Infrastructure, and Scenario.

RESULTS

The People and Culture components indicated the assimilation and normalization of technologies in the educational process. Although the infrastructure (technical and organizational) was deficient in some regions, the Technology component suggested that the characteristics of the course design, associated with the personal characteristics of the students, provided ways to overcome obstacles. The objectives of the use of distance education seem to be related to the possibility of greater accessibility and autonomy. The Processes component, in turn, revealed the burden that a e-learning course puts on the pharmacist.

CONCLUSION

E-learning proved to be useful to enable and expand access to education, providing pharmacists with an opportunity for CE. On the other hand, e-learning contributes to the normalization of the precarious working conditions of pharmacists, attributing to individuals the sole responsibility for the CE even in an institutional CE program, which results in work overload.