Pharmacoeconomics Education in the Middle East and North Africa Region: A Web-Based Research Project

Assessment and predictive analysis of health professions students' proficiency in health economics and pharmacoeconomics in Southwest China: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

This study addresses the growing importance of health economics and pharmacoeconomics in preparing healthcare professionals for economic decision-making, particularly in China's evolving healthcare system. Despite their significance, these subjects are inconsistently included in health education in Southwest China, making it crucial to assess students' proficiency and educational needs.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted from July to October 2023, involving medical and pharmaceutical programs across universities in Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, and Yunnan. Data on students' knowledge, attitudes, and proficiency were captured using a structured questionnaire. Advanced statistical methods, including descriptive analysis, ANOVA, regression analysis, PCA, and Spearman correlation heatmaps, were employed for data analysis using IBM SPSS and Python. The sample consisted of 781 students, with the survey facilitated via the Questionnaire Star platform.

RESULTS

The survey revealed moderate comprehension of health economics and pharmacoeconomics among 781 health-related students, with an average knowledge score of 2.9. The majority were pharmacy students (45.58%) and aged 21-24 years (65.81%) with a significant female majority (64.92%). Academic year significantly influenced understanding, while gender differences were minimal. Spearman correlation indicated a strong linkage (0.78) between Supply and Demand and Cost Effectiveness, with minimal correlations between knowledge and attitudes towards the educational importance of health economics. Multiple regression analysis highlighted the impact of gender and academic progression on students' comprehension of Supply and Demand concepts, as well as the influence of knowledge levels on their attitudes towards the importance of health economics education. PCA indicated the complex structure of knowledge and attitudes.

CONCLUSIONS

The study found moderate knowledge levels in health economics among health professions students in Southwest China, with academic year affecting comprehension and minimal gender differences. Pharmacy students had higher proficiency in pharmaceutical-related areas, but gaps in complex topics like 'Economic Evaluation' highlight the need for targeted educational improvements to better prepare students for healthcare economic decision-making.

Assessment of Knowledge of Health Economics among Healthcare Professionals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Addressing the ongoing challenge of rising healthcare spending is crucial for ensuring the health quality of a population. At the core of healthcare systems, health professionals play a vital role in patient care and resource utilization. Despite healthcare cost concerns, health professionals often lack an understanding of health economics for optimal decision making. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of health economics among healthcare professionals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The broader goal was to identify knowledge gaps crucial for developing targeted interventions to maintain quality healthcare within the context of resource constraints. We used cross-sectional data collected from January to June 2023 and employed univariate, bivariate, and multivariable techniques for analysis. Univariate analyses were used to compare respondent proportions in socio-economic and demographic categories, bivariate analysis was used to examine the frequencies of independent variables related to the dependent variable, and a multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify the factors associated with knowledge of health economics among healthcare professionals. A total of 1056 responses were included for analysis. Approximately 35.35% of the sample possessed optimal knowledge of healthcare economics. Additionally, 58.14% of respondents considered health economics knowledge essential in their job practice, 16.95% regularly read articles on health economics, 22.06% engage in economic decision making at work, and 20.17% apply health economics techniques in their decision making. Health economics knowledge varied according to profession status, work experience, perceptions about health economics, and involvement in management tasks and decision-making processes. Generally, knowledge of health economics tended to increase with experience, positive perceptions, and engagement in administrative or management tasks. Nevertheless, knowledge of health economics is largely limited among health professionals in Saudi Arabia. Policymakers should address disparities in knowledge and perceptions of health economics through ongoing training courses and workshops. These interventions will ensure the presence of highly skilled professionals capable of implementing effective healthcare decisions and managing the increasing costs of healthcare.

The State of Pharmacoeconomics Education in the Doctor of Pharmacy Curriculum amid the Changing Face of Pharmacy Practice

(1) Background: Continuous growth in pharmaceutical expenditure indicates the need for more advanced pharmacoeconomics evaluations to optimize healthcare outcomes and resource allocation. This study assesses the extent to which accredited pharmacy colleges in the United States cover pharmacoeconomics content within the didactic curriculum of their Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs. (2) Methods: We conducted a systematic search of the websites of accredited professional-degree programs in pharmacy schools located in the United States to identify pertinent content related to pharmacoeconomics. (3) Results: Out of 141 pharmacy programs, a total of 111 programs of varying sizes were found to have publicly accessible information regarding the content of their pharmacoeconomic curricula on their websites. All these programs required the inclusion of pharmacoeconomics content in their curricula. An examination of course syllabi revealed that the goals and descriptions were broad, aiming to provide students with an introductory understanding of the principles of pharmacoeconomics. The number of credit hours allocated to pharmacoeconomics education ranged from one to seven across the programs. The approach to delivering pharmacoeconomics content varied among the programs. (4) Conclusions: Advanced knowledge of the principles of pharmacoeconomics must be an integral component of all PharmD curricula to prepare pharmacists to assess the rational use of pharmacy products and services, improve clinical outcomes, and mitigate healthcare expenditures.

Barriers and Facilitators of Pharmacoeconomic Studies: A Review of Evidence from the Middle Eastern Countries

The world is facing a continuous increase in medical costs. Due to the surge in disease prevalence, medical science is becoming more sensitive to the economic impact of medications and drug therapies. This brings about the importance of pharmacoeconomics, which is concerned with the effective use of health resources to optimize the efficiency and costs of medications of treatment for the best outcomes. This review was conducted to find out the potential barriers and facilitators to implementing pharmacoeconomic studies in the Middle Eastern region having both high- and low-income countries. The varying economies in the region depict diverse healthcare systems where implementation of pharmacoeconomics faces a large number of challenges and is also aided by numerous facilitators that contribute to the growth of its implementation. In this context, we have reviewed the status of pharmacoeconomics in Middle Eastern countries in research databases (Google Scholar, MEDLINE, Science Direct and Scopus) using keywords (“pharmacoeconomics”, “barriers”, “facilitators”, “Middle East”). The study reported that Yemen, Syria, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon are the lowest-income countries in the Middle East and the implementation of pharmacoeconomics is the poorest in these states. The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Israel are high-income rich states where economic aspects were comparatively better but still a large number of barriers hinder the way to its effective implementation. These include the absence of national governing bodies, the lack of data on the effectiveness of medications, the absence of sufficient pharmacoeconomic experts and the lack of awareness of the importance of pharmacoeconomics. The main facilitators were the availability of pharmacoeconomic guidelines, the encouragement of pharmacoeconomic experts and the promotion of group discussions and collaborations between researchers and policymakers. Cost-benefit analysis is still evolving in Middle Eastern countries, and there is a great need for improvement so that states can effectively benefit from cost analysis tools and utilize their health resources. In this regard, governments should develop national governing bodies to evaluate, implement pharmacoeconomics at the local and state levels and bring about innovation in the field through further research and development incorporating all sectors of pharmacy and pharmaceutics. The data presented in this research can further be extended in future studies to cover the various domains of pharmacoeconomics including cost-minimization analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis and cost-benefit analysis and their applications within the healthcare sectors of Middle Eastern countries.