INTRODUCTION
Increased
demand for health services and increasing expectations to service
delivery have a significant effect in shaping work dynamics.Contemporary
issues surrounding the global pharmacy workforce identified from
the literature's include the importance of working conditions and job
satisfaction, wide range of supply and demand factors affecting the
workforce and migrations.To support growth in the establishment of
pharmacy practice and its aspiration for increased patient focused care,
work force needs another trends will need to be factored into
pharmaceutical service development plans.
Global Policy Context
The
world’s health workforce is facing significant challenges with a
shortage of more than FOUR million health workers worldwide. The global
health workers crisis is possibly the greatest health system constraint
on countries seeking to meet their 2015 millennium development goals
(MDGs). Increased demand for health services and increasing expectations
for service delivery has changed the health workforce issues have
generated huge interest and international action to bring about change.
-World health report 2006
In order
to meet the MDGs, had laid revolutionary change in every sector of
healthcare system in accelerating, delivering and planning the future
health care professional not only to national needs but also to global
health innovations.
In many
countries, pharmacists are the most accessible of all health care
workers and a such play a key role in the delivery of health care
services, particularly the safe distribution of medicines at all levels.
In an era of rapidly accelerating change in health care delivery, the
roles of pharmacists are constantly being redefined, as roles,
competency, and training requirements change.Thus, understanding the
current workforce and the factors that influence it are key components
to human resource planning in pharmacy. As the recent report from the
Office of The Chief Pharmacist of US, a health system improvement that
is well supported by the evidence-base is to maximize the expertise and
scope of pharmacists in minimize expansion barriers for an already
existing and successful upgrading the health care delivery models in
USA, Canada, Australia and Great Britain. There is also a need for
countries to model their workforce needs based on predicted future
provision of services and care, roles and responsibilities of the
pharmacy support workforce, increased use of technology, the advancement
of biotechnology and personalized medicine, demographic changes, and
future patterns of working all while ensuring there is a sustainable
academic workforce to maintain the supply of suitably trained
pharmacists.
Work Condition & Job Satisfaction
The level
of job satisfaction among pharmacy personnel is an important indicator
of staff turnover and retention. A number of studies found female
pharmacists hold high levels of job satisfaction compared with their
male counterparts.Other factors identified as increasing pharmacist
retention were good remuneration, good relationships with co-workers,
and flexible schedules. Factors increasing staff turnover included high
stress, insufficient or unqualified staff, and poor salary.Evidence also
suggests that pharmacists engaged in shift work might present unique
characteristics, which has implications for labour supply and pharmacy
services delivery.
Workforce development: Education, training, & leadership
Continuing
professional development (CPD) has the potential to be useful in
pharmacy workforce revalidation. Pharmacy professionals on the whole
agreed with the principle of engaging with CPD, but there was little
evidence to suggest widespread and wholehearted acceptance and uptake of
CPD, essential for revalidation.Direct experience of effective CPD in
the absence of perceived barriers could impact personal and professional
development and patient benefit, thus strengthening personal beliefs in
the value of CPD.
Supply
and demand issues: Current status & future directions Increased
demand and limited supply of pharmacists constrains the ability of the
workforce to expand. Many different supply and demand factors that
influence the pharmacy profession were identified, the majority of which
were common to most countries.
Supply
and demand issues: Current status & future directions The most
common factors increasing demand for pharmacists were increased
feminisation, increased clinical governance measures through continually
reviewing and improving the quality of patient care, increased numbers
of prescriptions, and increased complexity of medication therapy. The
most common factors mitigating demand for pharmacists included increased
use of technology, expansion in the numbers and roles of pharmacy
technicians, and increased numbers of pharmacy graduates.
Pharmacy workforce migration
There is
greater migration from less-developed countries to more-developed
countries. The pharmacist workforce from African and Asian countries was
disproportionately affected by migration. Significant number of
pharmacists from developing countries migrate to the developed world;
however, the extent of such migration was not properly captured.
Postulated reasons for migration include better remuneration, joining or
supporting family, political and social instability, poor living
conditions, poor working conditions and management, unsafe environment,
further training and qualifications, and job opportunities and
satisfaction.
Conclusion
The
current challenges affecting the global pharmacy workforce in ensuring
equitable access and responsible use of safe, effective and quality
medicines. The present status states that there is a huge paradigm shift
from the past to current Pharmacy profession leading in the developed
countries for more advancement and the developing countries upgrading
for the better services with new branches in managing future needs in
delivering of the health services. But still many skillful pharmacists
are needed to strengthen the workforce in the Global Pharmacy.
Source: Global workforce Report 2012
