Perception of the Professional Knowledge of and Education on the Medical Technology Products among the Pharmacists in the Baltic and Nordic Countries—A Cross-Sectional Exploratory Study
Daisy Volmer,
Aleksandra Sokirskaja,
Raisa Laaksonen,
Kirsti Vainio,
Niklas Sandler,
Kjell H. Halvorsen,
Reidun Lisbet Skeide Kjome,
Sveinbjörn Gizurarson,
Ruta Muceniece,
Baiba Maurina,
Jurgita Dauksiene,
Lilian Ruuben,
Ingunn Björnsdottir,
Tagne Ratassepp,
Jyrki Heinämäki
Affiliations
Daisy Volmer
Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, 1 Nooruse Str., 50411 Tartu, Estonia
Aleksandra Sokirskaja
Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, 1 Nooruse Str., 50411 Tartu, Estonia
Raisa Laaksonen
Division of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 9 (P.O. Box 56), 00014 Helsinki, Finland
Kirsti Vainio
School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
Niklas Sandler
Pharmaceutical Sciences, Åbo Akademi University, BioCity, Artillerigatan 6A FI, 20520 Turku, Finland
Kjell H. Halvorsen
Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Science, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
Reidun Lisbet Skeide Kjome
Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, 5018 Bergen, Norway
Sveinbjörn Gizurarson
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Iceland, 107 Reykjavik, Iceland
Ruta Muceniece
Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Latvia, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia
Baiba Maurina
Faculty of Pharmacy, Riga Stradins University, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia
Jurgita Dauksiene
Department of Drug Technology and Social Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania
Lilian Ruuben
Tallinn Health Care College, 13418 Tallinn, Estonia
Ingunn Björnsdottir
School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
Tagne Ratassepp
Medical Device Department, Estonian Health Board, 50303 Tartu, Estonia
Jyrki Heinämäki
Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, 1 Nooruse Str., 50411 Tartu, Estonia
With increased development of medical technology (MT), new challenges emerge related to education and training of pharmacists and other healthcare specialists. Currently, only a few universities in the EU promote MT education and research. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the current status, views on, and need for the education on MT for the pharmacy students and practicing pharmacists in the Baltic and Nordic countries. Methods: The representatives of higher education institutions and community/hospital pharmacists from six Baltic and Nordic countries participated in a qualitative cross-sectional exploratory internet-based study from May to October 2014. Results: Approximately two-third of the respondents considered professional knowledge about MT products important for pharmacists, but half of them had never participated in any MT courses. More practicing pharmacists than representatives of academia underlined the need for increased MT education for pharmacy students in the future. Conclusions: The pharmacists in the Baltic and Nordic countries consider the professional knowledge about MT as pertinent in their education and work. The limited number and status of MT courses available today, however, is a major concern among both pharmacy students and practicing pharmacists in these countries. In the future, increasing education combining theory and practice about MT products would be one possible solution to overcome this challenge.