Educational Analysis of Levels of Interest in Clinical Research among Clinical Pharmacists

Abstract

We investigated levels of interest in clinical research among pharmacists working in the clinical field,and specific needs for education to nurture clinical researchers.For this purpose,we conducted a questionnaire survey of 240 participants in the“Basic Seminar on Clinical Research for Pharmacists”.The survey items included reason for being interested in clinical research,enthusiasm for participation in clinical research,recognition of importance of knowledge of clinical research,selfevaluation of proficiency in conducting clinical research,and knowledge of clinical research area of interest.
Responses were obtained from 204 participants.The most common reason for being interested in clinical research was“to solve questions/problems in daily activities”.Regarding enthusiasm for participation in clinical research,many respondents were“willing to conduct clinical research at multiple institutions in different geographical areas,with professionals from various fields”.Responses concerning recognition of importance of knowledge of clinical research,and self evaluation of proficiency in conducting clinical research indicated that respondents recognized the importance of such knowledge,but did not regarded themselves as being so proficient.These results suggest that clinical pharmacists currently need practical educational programs in clinical research that can be implemented in clinical practice,and that it is important to improve the content of education in clinical research in response to their needs.