On January 14, 2023, the College of Pharmacy (CoP) at Gulf Medical University worked with its two partners, British Pharmacological Society, and IVPN-Network, to organize and deliver a webinar on Prescribing Skills for Pharmacists. This event was highly attended by 1958 delegates from healthcare professionals and academicians coming from the Middle East region and around the globe. This webinar aimed to:
- Showcase different experiences of Prescribing authorities for pharmacists around the world
- Explore the outcomes of integrating Prescribing Skills Assessment (PSA) in the Pharmacy Curriculum.
- Evaluate the current status of Prescribing practice for pharmacists in the region and beyond
- Propose future initiatives to enhance Prescribing skills for pharmacists
This event was moderated by Prof. Sherief Khalifa, the Dean of GMU College of Pharmacy and Vice Chancellor for Quality and Global Engagement. Webinar presentations included a talk by Prof. Simon Maxwell who is leading the PSA project in the UK and Dr. AbukerOmear, King Saud Medical City who shared the Saudi Experience. Dr. Ahmad El Ouweini, clinical lecturer and critical care fellow at GMU CoP and clinical pharmacist at Thumbay University Hospital, presented the GMU experience as the first university in the world (outside UK) to incorporate PSA into its pharmacy curriculum to assess the prescribing skills of the student at the point of exit from degree. GMU College of Pharmacy is also using the PSA to identify areas of improvement in the current curriculum as a means of continuous quality enhancement.
Dean Sherief Khalifa commented: “The tool provided by the British Pharmacological Society to assess prescribing skills and prescribing safety is a valid and reliable one that should be used by all colleges of pharmacy whose curricula are focused on patient care and on graduating drug therapy experts. It was exciting to see how Saudi Arabia has made important advances in the prescribing role of the pharmacist. GMU college of pharmacy is taking the lead in graduating pharmacist who are competent independent prescribers through the application of PSA. Our partnership with IVPN Network is extremely valuable in reaching pharmacists, academicians and other health care professionals to spread best practice in the entire region”.