Pharmacoeconomics Education in Pharmacy Faculties: Status in Türkiye and Other Countries

Objectives: Pharmacoeconomics is an important branch of science that should be taken into account by countries' social security institutions in order to rationally manage drug expenditures within healthcare budgets for the aging population. Pharmacists trained in pharmacoeconomics make a great contribution to this field. This study aims to draw attention to the inclusion of pharmacoeconomics education as a compulsory course in the curricula of pharmacy faculties in Türkiye. Materials and Methods: Fifty-one pharmacy faculties in Türkiye were analysed. The pharmacoeconomics courses and their contents in the curriculum of these faculties were evaluated. The course contents, European Credit Transfer System and credits, weekly and meeting hours of the faculties offering pharmacoeconomics courses were analyzed. Results: There are 51 pharmacy faculties in Türkiye. Of these pharmacy faculties, 33 are operating under state universities and 18 under foundation universities. There is no pharmacoeconomics course in the curriculum of 82.35% of the pharmacy faculties (n=42). In the other 17.65% (n=9) of the faculties, there is a pharmacoeconomics course in the curriculum. The course contents of the faculties are similar, and basic pharmacoeconomics information is generally given. There are no faculty members who have completed their PhDs in this field. Conclusion: This study, the first to systematically evaluate the situation in all pharmacy faculties in Türkiye, has revealed that pharmacoeconomics education is limited. Making pharmacoeconomics courses mandatory in the curriculum of pharmacy faculties is necessary to comply with international standards and enable pharmacists to contribute more effectively to rational drug use and the sustainability of healthcare systems.