Pharmacy practice and continuing professional development in low and middle income countries (LMICs)

Globally, there is an increasing burden from both communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The effects of these disproportionately impact low and middle income countries (LMICs) where health systems struggle to meet the demands brought about from NCDs. These long-term health conditions have increased rapidly over the last decade, leading to a double burden of disease from both NCDs and communicable diseases [1]. LMICs also face an increasing rise in the use of antimicrobials, and the presence of substandard and falsified medicines [1], which further contributes to antimicrobial resistance, and affects health outcomes in LMICs [2,3]. This increasing prevalence of health conditions requires management with complex medication regimens. Pharmacists are well-placed to provide medicines expertise to manage these needs and regimens. Having a pharmacy workforce that is able to provide clinical support for patients has also been shown to improve health outcomes [4,5]. However, to achieve this, there is a need to ensure that pharmacists have access to appropriate, up-to-date education and training to support the delivery of evidence-based pharmaceutical care. The need for diversified, advanced pharmacy education is recognized internationally [6-8], yet in many LMICs there is limited capacity and experience to develop such training.