Browsing by Author "Lates, Jennie"

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    COVID-19 resilient pharmacy education:
    (FIP, 2020) Mavu, Daniel; Lates, Jennie; Hango, Ester; Rennie, Timothy; Lusepani, Monde; Kibuule, Dan; Mubita, Mwangana
    Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to suspension of pharmacy education in resource-limited settings, negatively impacting pharmaceutical workforce outputs. Aims: To identify the elements of a COVID-19 resilient pharmacy education programme in Namibiaand its grassroots impact on the pharmaceutical workforce and systems strengthening. Methods: An evaluation of COVID-19 resilience of the Diploma in Pharmacy programme in Namibia. Data on elements for resilience and outcomes were collected; qualitative and quantitative data were analysed descriptively. Results: The evaluation identified ten key elements for successful implementation of a COVID-19 resilient pharmacy education programme. The integration of quality improvement projects in the workplace strengthened pharmaceutical systems and workforce capacity in areas of rational medicine use and supply management of medicines. Conclusions: Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted pharmacy education, this paper presents ten elements that, when implemented, may improve the resilience and minimise unforeseen academic interruptions during pandemics. Keywords: COVID-19, Namibia, Pharmacy Education, Work Integrated, Workforce
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    COVID-19:
    (PKP Publishing services, 2020) Lates, Jennie; Kibuule, Dan
    Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated inequalities in access to quality pharmacy education, particularly in resource-limited settings in Africa (Engle, 2020; Fuller et al., 2020). This is a serious concern for Africa especially, given that sub-Saharan Africa ranks lowest on the global pharmaceutical workforce index and has a disproportionately high burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases, combined with weak health systems (World Health Organisation [WHO], 2013; Bates et al., 2018).
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    Creating clinical pharmacy capacity in Namibia:
    (Springer, 2020) Corkhill, Nicola L.; Lates, Jennie; Mubita, Mwangana; Kibuule, Dan; Jonkman, Lauren J.; Hachey, David; Hunter, Christian John; Bates, Ian; Rennie, Timothy W.
    Namibia has previously relied on external training of pharmacists but began in-country training in 2011. In response to an identifed need for postgraduate clinical pharmacy development and training in the country, a Master’s degree was set up at the University of Namibia in 2016. The country has a considerable health burden of HIV and TB as well as a shortage of healthcare professionals. A UK clinical diploma model was adapted to meet the specifc needs of the country and wider region, ensuring students could access the course over a sparsely populated, but large geographical spread, in addition to providing work-based learning, embedding research skills for future development, and focusing on the health needs of Namibia. The course uses online learning platforms and contact sessions to cover both knowledge and skill acquisition throughout the 3 years of the course. UK and US clinical pharmacists are utilised to provide specialist input, both remotely and within student workplaces, and further support has come from collaborations, including cross-site visits, with the UK-based pharmacy school whose diploma model was adapted. Challenges have included a shortage of clinical mentors, also compounding the students’ difculty in visualising their future roles, as well as lone practitioners fnding it hard to attend all contact sessions. The initial dropout rates of earlier cohorts have since reduced with greater understanding of the programme, and enthusiasm for the course remains high. The aim for the Master’s is to train students to become competent clinical pharmacists, thus having the knowledge and skills to mentor future cohorts of the course, as well as expanding the specialty within the country. Keywords Africa · Clinical pharmacy · Namibia · Postgraduate
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    Migration to online pharmacy education in Namibia:
    (PKP Publishing services, 2021) Kibuule, Dan; Lates, Jennie; Ishola, Anthony; Hango, Ester; Kalemeera, Francis; Knott, Michael; Mavu, Daniel; Singu, Bonifasius; Rennie, Timothy; Brinkmann, Irene; Mubita, Mwangana
    Background: COVID-19, a global pandemic, has disrupted pharmacy education in Africa, due to unpreparedness to migrate to online Learning. Aim: To assess outcomes and challenges facing migration to online pharmacy education. Methods: An evaluation of implementation of online learning in the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme in Namibia using key informant feedback. The outcomes were outputs and challenges facing migration to online learning, and its impact on pass rates and scores. Results: The pooled mean score was higher in 2020 (66.2%), compared to 2019 (63.4%) and 2018 (62.1%), (p=0.076). A variety of platforms were used as alternatives or supplements to Moodle. The main challenges included inequalities in internet connectivity, monitoring and quality assurance, implementation of experiential learning, and reliability of online assessment. Conclusions: Whilst migration to online learning did not impact on pass rates, there is need for policies and systems to address programmatic challenges to eliminate inequalities in online pharmacy education.