A public health pharmacy course at a Malaysian pharmacy school.
OBJECTIVE
To develop and implement a new course on public health into the bachelor of pharmacy (BPharm) curriculum in Malaysia.


METHODS
A required 2-credit-hour course was designed to provide an overview of public health pharmacy roles and the behavioral aspects of human healthcare issues. Graded activities included nursing home visits, in-class quizzes, mini-projects, and poster sessions, and a comprehensive final examination.


RESULTS
The majority of the students performed well on the class activities and 93 (71.5%) of the 130 students enrolled received a grade of B or higher. A Web-based survey was administered at the end of the semester and 90% of students indicated that they had benefited from the course and were glad that it was offered. The majority of students agreed that the course made an impact in preparing them for their future role as pharmacists and expanded their understanding of the public health roles of a pharmacist.


CONCLUSIONS
A public health pharmacy course was successfully designed and implemented in the BPharm curriculum. This study highlighted the feasibilities of introducing courses that are of global relevance into a Malaysian pharmacy curriculum. The findings from the students' evaluation suggest the needs to incorporate a similar course in all pharmacy schools in the country and will be used as a guide to improve the contents and methods of delivery of the course at our school.
Hassali
Mohamed Azmi
MA
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia.
Shafie
Asrul Akmal
AA
Awaisu
Ahmed
A
Mohamed Ibrahim
Mohamed Izham
MI
Ahmed
Syed Imran
SI
D003157:Community Pharmacy Services; D003479:Curriculum; D004512:Education, Pharmacy; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D011314:Preventive Health Services; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011634:Public Health / Q000193:education*; D012580:Schools, Pharmacy; D013339:Students, Pharmacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires