Use of needs assessment technique and quality function deployment for pharmacy curriculum design

Abstract

This study aimed to design Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) curriculum of the faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University using needs assessment. There were three phases in this study. In phase I, the new pharmacy competency standards were developed from the Pharmacy Practice Activity Classification (PPAC), professionalism, and general ability concept and were revised by brainstorming from pharmacy practitioners and faculty members in order to meet the society’s needs. Needs survey were examined using self-administered questionnaire. The aim of this phase is to study the pharmacy competency expectation of undergraduate students and to identify the needs of pharmacy competency from the two evaluators: pharmacy preceptors and clinical pharmacy students. Data were presented using PNI, matrix analysis and descriptive statistics. It was found that pharmacy competency standard consisted of 6 domains: 1) ensuring appropriate pharmacotherapy, 2) selection and dispensing medications and health products, 3) health promotion and disease prevention, 4) health systems management, 5) professionalism, and 6) general ability. From pharmacy preceptors’assessment, the significant needs of undergraduate pharmacy competency were mostly the first domain, ensuring and appropriate pharmacotherapy and outcome. For the clinical pharmacy students, the significant needs of pharmacy competency were mostly the second domain, selection and dispensing medications and health products. In phase II, competency needs analysis was conducted to identify curriculum factors associated with pharmacy competency needs by confirmation with the results of other studies. It was found that the modification of contents related to the pharmacy competency in ensuring appropriate pharmacotherapy and outcome; and selection and dispensing medications and health products, which were patient-oriented, was highly suggested to meet the stakeholders’ needs. Data form phase I and II were used in phase III to design the curriculum using quality function deployment. Phase III composed of seven steps: 1) QFD plan for pharmacy curriculum design to get curriculum philosophy and objectives; 2) pharmacy competency structure in curriculum design and competency weight factor using AHP; 3) identifying study contents; 4) establishing correlations between pharmacy competency and study contents which used to calculate the importance of each course; 5) identification of the pre-requisite contents using the correlation matrix for course sequences; 6) competency assessment in quality planning matrix using the needs of faculty’s members, preceptor, and pharmacy students to calculate absolute weight or relative absolute weight; and 7) identify the importance priority of knowledge requirements to obtain the importance of courses. Results showed that the ratio of curriculum structure among patient, product, and social & administrative pharmacy in the Pharm.D. curriculum model were 16: 4.5: 1. QFD techniques reduced ambiguity of qualitative data into quantitative data and needs assessment made it able to quantitatively respond to the needs of the stakeholders.