Since I joined the School of Public Health at Boston University and
particularly since the Sydney National Drug Policies conference last week I
have been thinking and talking about Public Health Pharmacy or
Pharmaceuticals as a subject.
The issue is that drug management has become more developed and complicated
over the past decade. Both Schools of Public Health and Schools of Pharmacy
have neglected the topic as an academic subject. Schools of Pharmacy have
done very well in developing clinical pharmacy with a hospital orientation
but have done little on issues such as EDL selection, procurement methods,
inventory control, ordering and storage options or even rational drug use
except in relation to DTC and DUR or E. Schools of Public Health have
covered topics such as financing, role of the private sector, cost recovery,
revolving drug funds, and disease specific drug programs eg ARI, STD's etc
but the overall topics such as development of STG's, quantification,
distribution, inventory systems and promoting rational drug use have been
neglected.
These gaps have been filled by short courses offered by MSH, WHO and
Aberdeen. We, at Boston University, will be offering a 2 week course on
National Drug Policies for Developing countries in collaboration with WHO in
March next year. I will send a separate message about this course.
The point remains there does some to be a gap in basic training for both
pharmacists and public health professionals.
My questions are:
Is this a real problem?
What course are being offered at undergraduate or Masters level which
prepares students to manage drug systems in developing countries?
If such courses were to be developed what should be the core content? What
should be the optional additions?
Are there any model curricula available for review?
I plan to teach a 4 credit 13 week course in January to April next year for
MPH students on Selection and Rational Use of drugs. It will be based on WHO
and MSH/INRUD materials. What other materials are available?
I hope this topic can generate some discussion on the E-drugs forum.
Richard Laing
Department of International Health,
Boston University School of Public Health,
53 Bay State Rd,
Boston 02215 MA
Tel 1 617 353-6630
Fax 1 617 353-6330