TY - JOUR
T1 - The specialized competency framework for industry pharmacists (SCF-IP)
T2 - validation and pilot assessment
AU - Sacre, Hala
AU - Saab, May
AU - Haddad, Chadia
AU - Haddad, Mansour
AU - Zeenny, Rony M.
AU - Akel, Marwan
AU - Hajj, Aline
AU - Iskandar, Katia
AU - Salameh, Pascale
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - Objectives: This study aimed to validate a specialized competency framework for industry pharmacists and assess correlates related to the competency domains in a pilot sample. Methods: A team of experts assessed the old framework and improved its content validity after a thorough literature review, using the Delphi technique. Domains and their respective competencies and behaviors were re-defined in the framework. Afterward, a web-based cross-sectional study was carried out between March and October 2022, enrolling a convenient sample of ten industry pharmacists who worked in Lebanese pharmaceutical plants. Participants were contacted through the Syndicate of the Pharmaceutical Industries in Lebanon. Results: The specialized competency framework for Lebanese industry pharmacists comprised seven domains. Behavioral items had appropriate loading on their respective factors, which could involve one, two or three competencies. Cronbach alpha values for all domains were close to one, showing appropriate reliability. Each domain was correlated with at least another one, except for domains related to pharmaceutical and industrial development and emergency preparedness, which were not correlated with other domains. The lowest confidence was found in the research and development domain, particularly among participants with only a PharmD. Conclusions: This study validated the specialized competency framework for Lebanese industry pharmacists. Some domains, specifically those related to industrial development and emergency preparedness, were found to diverge from others. Therefore, it would be recommended to include additional education in the emergency preparedness, research and development fields and to integrate industry-specific skills, courses, and training programs into academic curricula. Furthermore, specialized postgraduate degrees may be necessary to produce practice-ready pharmacists to operate effectively in this vital setting.
AB - Objectives: This study aimed to validate a specialized competency framework for industry pharmacists and assess correlates related to the competency domains in a pilot sample. Methods: A team of experts assessed the old framework and improved its content validity after a thorough literature review, using the Delphi technique. Domains and their respective competencies and behaviors were re-defined in the framework. Afterward, a web-based cross-sectional study was carried out between March and October 2022, enrolling a convenient sample of ten industry pharmacists who worked in Lebanese pharmaceutical plants. Participants were contacted through the Syndicate of the Pharmaceutical Industries in Lebanon. Results: The specialized competency framework for Lebanese industry pharmacists comprised seven domains. Behavioral items had appropriate loading on their respective factors, which could involve one, two or three competencies. Cronbach alpha values for all domains were close to one, showing appropriate reliability. Each domain was correlated with at least another one, except for domains related to pharmaceutical and industrial development and emergency preparedness, which were not correlated with other domains. The lowest confidence was found in the research and development domain, particularly among participants with only a PharmD. Conclusions: This study validated the specialized competency framework for Lebanese industry pharmacists. Some domains, specifically those related to industrial development and emergency preparedness, were found to diverge from others. Therefore, it would be recommended to include additional education in the emergency preparedness, research and development fields and to integrate industry-specific skills, courses, and training programs into academic curricula. Furthermore, specialized postgraduate degrees may be necessary to produce practice-ready pharmacists to operate effectively in this vital setting.
KW - Competency
KW - Framework
KW - Industry
KW - Pharmacist
KW - Reliability
KW - Validity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85166253015&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s40545-023-00602-8
DO - 10.1186/s40545-023-00602-8
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85166253015
SN - 2052-3211
VL - 16
JO - Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice
JF - Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice
IS - 1
M1 - 96
ER -