Evaluation of a British-German postgraduate course in clinical pharmacy

Since 1997, a 4 week postgraduate course in clinical pharmacy has been offered annually at the University of Tübingen (Germany) in cooperation with the School of Pharmacy, University of London (United Kingdom). The course combines a theoretical and a practice-based module; a concept which is unique in Germany, but well established in the UK. The present study evaluated whether former participants found the course useful for their daily practice. A structured questionnaire was sent to all former participants (n = 102), 66 (65%) responded; 63 pharmacists (95%) found the course subjects useful. A total of 61 respondents (92%) were involved in 223 clinical pharmacy projects which were related to course subjects, including drug information services, participation in ward rounds and patient counselling. A lack of time was identified as the main barrier to implementing such services. Pharmacists felt more competent to work with doctors after completion of the course (40, 61%) though this was subjective. This collaborative programme helped to share expertise in teaching and clinical pharmacy practice across countries.