Scoping Review for FPD-Include: A Look into Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Pharmaceutical Education
I’m Ivy, a 24-year-old final-year master’s student in Pharmacy at the University of Utrecht. I wrote a Scoping review on the literature concerning Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in pharmaceutical education.
The Guiding Question
The main question driving this review is: "Where do we stand in terms of the literature on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in pharmaceutical education?"
Methodology
To answer this question, I adopted a systematic approach to gather and analyze relevant data. My data sources are categorized into four major groups:
Scientific Databases: I searched four key databases: Pubmed, Medline, Scopus, and Ebsco, to find scientific articles relevant to my study.
Collaborative Sharing: I utilized a shared Teams environment where various project partners contribute their literature findings.
Professional Journals and Grey Literature: This includes both scientific and semi-scientific articles from professional pharmaceutical journals such as the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, the International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, and Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning.
Snowballing Method: I used the references of selected articles to uncover additional relevant studies.
Search Strategy
The primary keywords guiding my search were Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity, Pharmacy, and Education. I applied minor variations of these keywords to each data source to ensure comprehensive and relevant search results.
Selection Process
The selection process began with scanning all titles, excluding those not related to EDI in pharmaceutical education or not written in English or Dutch. I then read and assessed the abstracts for relevance.
Key Findings
The literature emphasizes the significance of EDI in pharmaceutical education, highlighting the vital role pharmacists play at the forefront of healthcare. As our society becomes increasingly diverse, there is a growing need for a different approach to healthcare, recognizing pharmacists as frontline healthcare professionals. Despite this recognition, there is limited literature on how to implement EDI systematically in pharmaceutical education, pointing to a knowledge gap in this area.
Fortunately, some research has addressed effective implementation strategies, such as forming EDI committees, developing Cultural Intelligence Frameworks, and engaging in strategic planning efforts.
Current Trends and Limitations
Although the importance and need for EDI in pharmaceutical education are acknowledged, there is a notable lack of systematic adaptation in teaching and training programs. Interestingly, much of the literature has been published post-2019, with the US leading in research and implementation efforts. However, the focus on US-based studies limits the generalizability of these findings to other contexts, such as Europe.
Next Steps
In the discussion section of my scoping review, I plan to include a segment on the status of EDI in healthcare and healthcare education. This will provide a broader context and highlight the progress and gaps that still exist.
Stay tuned for more updates as I delve deeper into this critical area of study. Together, we can work towards a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive future in pharmaceutical education.
Thank you for joining me on this journey!