The establishment and implementation of an educational program for pharmacists who can play an active role in home health care

Abstract

Japan’s aging is progressing at an unparalleled pace. Therefore, it is essential to train pharmacists who can actively contribute to community health care, especially in home health care. Therefore, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University has established and is implementing a program for education on interprofessional home health care and physical assessment necessary for it. Interprofessional education (IPE) in home health care consists of two programs, namely, (1) the Kyoto Pharmaceutical University/Kyoto Tachibana University joint IPE workshop and (2) an advanced program for home health care training. The physical assessment education program for pharmacists is an educational curriculum related to physical assessment that is consistent from pre- to post-graduate education. In this review, I outline the findings obtained through the establishment and implementation of these programs as well as offer my views on the future challenges surrounding the training of pharmacists who can play an active role in home health care.