The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7193 p506-507
13 April 2002

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Pharmacoeconomics is vital to education

It is vital that pharmacy students are given a basic level of training in health economics, according to BETHAN GEORGE, academic department of pharmacy, Barts and the London NHS Trust. This is because pharmacists can play a number of roles in economic decision making. "One of the biggest roles we have is in explanation. We are one of the patient's first and last points of contact so we should be able to explain to the patient what has been allocated or denied," she said. Other roles include examining data at a national or local level, eg, as prescribing advisers, and providing clinical input in helping to support decisions.

IAN BATES, senior lecturer, centre for practice and policy, School of Pharmacy, University of London, asked whether health economics could be taught.

The underlying basis for health economics resides in ethical questions, he said. Health economic decisions mean that some people will not receive health care: therefore, it is an ethical problem. Despite having evidence-based guidelines, judgement is needed in practice. Professionals are faced with individuals who have problems that cannot be generalised as they are in guidelines. Additionally, most young professionals lack first-hand experience of chronic disease and old age. "The problem is, in teaching institutes, how can we convey these conceptual problems," he asked. However, if the basis for health economics lies in ethics, can ethics be taught? Ethics and pharmacoeconomics cannot be regarded as something that can be added on to the curriculum: the whole design of the pharmacy curriculum has to be challenged. An adult-learning approach to pharmacy education is needed. Unless independence, autonomy and choice are instilled, effective learning cannot take place.

He concluded that although he believes ethics cannot be taught, it can be learned. Health economics probably can be taught but can only be understood if students can learn and understand ethical judgements.