Pharmacy education in Saudi Arabia: Achievements and challenges during the last two decades with a focus on Taif University as a case study

Ahmed Ibrahim Fathelrahman; Majed Alrobaian; Waleed Mohammad Altowayan; Ibrahim Maghrabi; Yousif A Asiri

doi:10.1016/j.jsps.2022.04.001

Pharmacy education in Saudi Arabia: Achievements and challenges during the last two decades with a focus on Taif University as a case study

Saudi Pharm J. 2022 Jun;30(6):649-654. doi: 10.1016/j.jsps.2022.04.001. Epub 2022 Apr 7.

Authors

Ahmed Ibrahim Fathelrahman¹, Majed Alrobaian², Waleed Mohammad Altowayan³, Ibrahim Maghrabi¹, Yousif A Asiri¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Basic expectation from graduates of any pharmacy program is to be able to provide pharmaceutical care at both patients and community levels, be able to solve problems arising during practice, be able to improve quality and outcomes of the services provided continuously and be able to respond effectively to patients and community changing needs. Pharmacy education in Saudi Arabia established in 1959 by founding the first college in Riyadh (King Saud University) followed by establishing two pharmacy colleges in Jeddah (King Abdulaziz University, 2001) and Abha (King Khalid University, 2001), then a college in Al Ahsa (King Faisal University, 2002), followed by four colleges three-years later in each of Buraydah (Qassim University, 2005), Madinah (Taibah University, 2005), Taif (Taif University, 2005) and Makkah (Umm Al-Qura University, 2005). Up to date the number of pharmacy colleges offering basic degrees in pharmacy are 21 governmental and eight privates. This review describes pharmacy education in Saudi Arabia, the historical perspective, current situation, and the important features. The report focuses on the changes during the last two decades covering three main aspects (1) Clinical education and training, (2) Research output, and (3) Quality and accreditation.

Keywords: Clinical training; E-learning; Pharmaceutical industry; Pharmacy education; Pharmacy education research; Quality & accreditation; Saudi Arabia.

Publication types

Review