Objective structured clinical examination for pharmacy students in Qatar: cultural and contextual barriers to assessment

This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and psychometric defensibility of implementing a comprehensive objective structured clinical examination [OSCE] on the complete pharmacy programme for pharmacy students in a Middle Eastern context, and to identify facilitators and barriers to implementation within new settings. Eight cases were developed, validated, and had standards set according to a blueprint, and were assessed with graduating pharmacy students. Assessor reliability was evaluated using inter-class coefficients [ICCs]. Concurrent validity was evaluated by comparing OSCE results to professional skills course grades. Field notes were maintained to generate recommendations for implementation in other contexts. The examination pass mark was 424 points out of 700 [60.6%]. All 23 participants passed. Mean performance was 74.6%. Low to moderate inter-rater reliability was obtained for analytical and global components [average ICC 0.77 and 0.48, respectively]. In conclusion, OSCE was feasible in Qatar but context-related validity and reliability concerns must be addressed prior to future iterations in Qatar and elsewhere

Diseño del sistema de gestión de la calidad para una maestría en ciencias farmacéuticas / Design of the quality management system for a master degree of pharmaceutical sciences

Se describen las acciones emprendidas con vistas a garantizar el mejoramiento continuo de la calidad de la Maestría en Tecnología y Control de Medicamentos, que se ofrece en el Instituto de Farmacia y Alimentos, mediante el diseño e implementación de un sistema de gestión de la calidad. Se explican las características del diagnóstico aplicado para determinar las necesidades de mejoramiento del programa de la maestría, así como los principales resultados obtenidos. Se muestran los elementos fundamentales del diseño del sistema de gestión de la calidad estructurado a partir de las Normas ISO 9000:2000 y el entorno normativo regulador del funcionamiento de las maestrías. Finalmente, se establecen las bases para la evaluación del sistema y el mejoramiento continuo de la calidad, mediante un proceso de mejora continua de la calidad del programa de la maestría