Background: The Jordanian pharmacy profession is facing challenges related to pharmacy education and graduates' readiness to join the workforce. The Jordanian Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission for Higher Education Institutions has led an initiative to revise undergraduate pharmacy academic programmes.
Aim: This study aims to capture relevant stakeholders' perceptions of factors influencing pharmacy education in Jordan.
Methods: In March 2021, three focus group discussions were conducted with relevant stakeholders. Focus groups were thematically analysed. The "systems model of performance improvement" by Richard A. Swanson was broadly followed to interpret discerned themes.
Results: Thematic analysis resulted in three main themes. The discerned themes represented factors related to education input variables, teaching process variables, and environmental variables.
Conclusion: Teaching and learning processes should be shifted from educator-centred to student-centred. The academic curriculum should reflect the local context of practice and society. Future interventions should follow a holistic and comprehensive approach to reforming Jordan's pharmacy education.

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What is needed to reform pharmacy education in Jordan: An exploratory study based on a multi-stakeholder perspective

Pharmacy students' preparation to provide pharmaceutical care for patients with non-communicable diseases in six ASEAN countries: A qualitative study.

The rapidly emerging COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the need for rapid and extensive changes in the education programs of universities. This chapter reviews the changes in teaching and learning made by pharmaceutical faculties in six universities located in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): Mahasarakham University (Thailand), Taylor's University (Malaysia), University of the Philippines-Manilla (Philippines), Hai Phong University of Medicine and Pharmacy (Vietnam), University of Health Sciences (Lao PDR), and Sanata Dharma University (Indonesia). The authors discuss adjustments that were made based on educational contexts, planning and infrastructure, educational processes, and products and outcomes. Each university provides a specific story concerning lessons learned in responding to the pandemic. The chapter concludes with changes that will be employed in future emergency situations, as well as those that will continue to be incorporated with the resumption of normal operations.

Phoutsathaphone Sibounheuang

Papers

Challenges in Pharmacy Education With Limited Resources During COVID-19: ASEAN Perspective