Predictors of Thai pharmacist in accessing continuing pharmaceutical education

Abstract

Thai Pharmacy council has established a policy encouraging Thai pharmacists to carry out their continuing pharmaceutical education (CPE) through participating in academic conference, reading articles from journals, or website since 2001. Pharmacists are expected to accomplish for minimum of 10 credits granted in each year and 100 credits within five years. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the predictable factors of accessing CPE. These factors were based on Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) including attitude and subjective norms toward accessing CPE, and perception of barriers affecting their participations in CPE. Survey research using mailing-questionnaire was used and data on CPE score were collected from Center of continuing pharmaceutical education (CCPE). The response rate was 42.0 % (n=269). Bivariate analysis was used to explore the association of predictors and CPE score and Multiple Regression Analysis was conducted to establish the explanatory model on CPE. The result showed that the established model based on the TPB has correlation coefficient 0.21 that could explain their participation on CPE about 21 %. The significant predictors in the model were gender (p=0.02), working places of pharmacists in the Central region (p=0.03), being a member of Hospital Pharmacy Association (p=0.01), being a member of Community Pharmacy Association (p=0.00), CPE provider (p=0.01), and perception on patient influencing CPE participation (p=0.05). It was also found that academic conference was the most important channel that pharmacist chose for their participation and they required topic of CPE to be related with their practice area. The results of this study could be used to develop the appropriate strategies to promote and motivate Thai pharmacists to have more participation in CPE to achieve the Thai Pharmacy council policy and the CPE could consequently be an acceptable regulation.