title: Continuing education and community pharmacists in Galicia: a study of opinions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the opinions of a volunteer group of community pharmacists concerning general and specific issues related to continuing education.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were required to complete questionnaires before and after attendance at a refresher course, and score the relevant options provided on a scale from 0 to 10. The responses of the survey were analyzed to identify preferences and to detect any possible changes in opinion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Arithmetic means of pharmacists' opinions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The teaching methods preferred by the community pharmacists were workshops for resolution of practical cases (9 +/- 0.25 and 8.88 +/- 0.13) and the distance-learning computer programmes (6.74 +/- 0.25 and 8.18 +/- 0.20). In selecting which topics that should be taught, the participants gave the highest ratings to healthcare needs (8.75 +/- 0.14 and 8.57 +/- 0.15) and the demands of the pharmacists (8.15 +/- 0.16 and 8.40 +/- 0.16), with pharmaceutical care being the most requested topic (29 points). Participants preferred courses lasting 20 to 50 hours (6.94 +/- 0.26 and 7.89 +/- 0.16), without preference for schedule.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Community pharmacists in Galicia show a great interest in the provision and organization of continuing education activities that meet their needs and expectations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cordero
authors.forename: M Isabel
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Cadavid
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fernández-Llimós
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.forename: Ferran
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sanz
authors.forename: Maria Isabel
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Loza
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003139:Common Cold / Q000628:therapy; D003479:Curriculum; D003625:Data Collection; D020375:Education, Distance; D004513:Education, Pharmacy, Continuing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D010594:Pharmacies; D010595:Pharmacists; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods