Experience and perspectives of distance learning of pharmacists-interns in the system of continuous education
Authors: GRYNKIV Ya. O. , ZALISKA O. М. , SICHKORIZ O. E. 
Published: February 2019

Modernization of the educational process at the postgraduate stage using modern computer technologies is extremely urgent.

The purpose of the study was to analyze the experience of distance learning of pharmacists-interns at the department of Organization and Economics of Pharmacy, drug technology and pharmacoeconomics and to substantiate promising directions for conducting distance education of pharmacists.

Methods – questioning, interviewing of pharmacists-interns, questionnaire development. A special questionnaire has been developed and the method of individual questioning has explored the possibilities of distance learning of the pharmacist-interns at the postgraduate stage.

The questionnaire included the passport part: the age, the form of training of the pharmacist-intern, the former place of work; A special part on the questions blocks under study. A survey was conducted of 128 pharmacists-interns: 72 full-time study form and 56 people of external study form. The questioning was conducted by each individual pharmacist individually, so it can be considered independent.

As a result of the survey, we found out that about 61% of the pharmacists-interns do not have previous experience in distance learning. However, 81.5% are ready to independently study the topics of interest to them on pharmaceutical topics: New drugs registered in Ukraine, rational use of medicines, pharmaceutical care and assistance, etc.

67% of the surveyed pharmacists-interns believe that knowledge control is better done after the development/study of each topic, and 33% is better at the end of the study of the thematic cycle.

The optimal ways of conducting distance learning are established: two-way on-line interaction, publications on the educational program website, two-way interactive video.

At the Department of the Organization and Economics of Pharmacy, the Technology of Medicines and Pharmacoeconomics, experience has been accumulated and a system for studying pharmacoeconomics has been created and activities conducted by the Ukrainian Department of UCOPOR. Considerable attention is paid to the use of information and communication technologies from pharmacoeconomics for distance learning on the basis of the home site from pharmacoeconomics (www.uspor.org.ua), and 6 instructional modules on pharmacoeconomics developed by teachers in cooperation with international specialists are available on the international website ISPOR in Ukrainian.

Prospective directions of the further development of postgraduate education, taking into account the results of questioning of pharmacists-interns can be the development of distance learning technologies, which will be actively introduced both in the preparation of the pharmacists-interns, and for the pharmacists-trainees of the training cycles, thematic improvement.

It is established that more than 80% of pharmacists-interns are ready to independently study the topics of interest to them on pharmaceutical topics: New drugs registered in Ukraine, rational use of medicines, Pharmaceutical care and assistance, Pharmaceutical cosmetology and Pharmaceutical legislation

To control and evaluate the self-mastered material, 67% of interrogated interveners interviewed believe that it is advisable to conduct it after processing / studying each topic. It has been established that the optimal methods for conducting distance learning are: two-way on-line interaction, publications on the educational program site and two-way interactive video.

Teachers of the Department of the Organization and Economics of Pharmacy, drug technology and pharmacoeconomics have developed a special distance learning program with pharmacoeconomics based on international modules, which is designed to provide knowledge and skills on the methodology of pharmacoeconomic research.