Objective: The Hyogo Hospital Pharmaceutical Society has been conducting an original pharmacy postgraduate education program, “lifelong learning program (to nurture pharmacy specialists)”, since 2002 using the Internet. To understand the status of using this program, this study employed a questionnaire survey involving all registered members.
Methods: Subjects were all members (1,870) of the society. Questionnaires were distributed and collected by mail.
Results: Only 20.1% of the members had experience of using the program, and the frequency of using it was less than once per 6-12 months in 60% of the members. Their level of awareness concerning the acquisition of credits for lifelong learning was 36.9%. The program category they wished to take was an infection-related program in 26.1% of the members, which was the highest.
Conclusion: As reasons for only a small number of members using the program, the following are considered: loss of user’s ID and password required to login, and lack of awareness concerning the acquisition of credits for lifelong learning offered by the Japanese Society of Hospital Pharmacists. As future issues, we must encourage members to obtain a new password and be proactively involved in preparing new program categories that the members wish to take, in order to promote the continuous use of the program.
