TY  - JOUR
T1  - Embedding Health Advocacy as Core Professional Practice: Evaluation of an Integrated Pharmacy Curriculum Using Mixed Methods
A1  - Yvonne K. Mensah
A1  - Samuel A. Boateng
JF  - Annals of Pharmacy Education, Safety, and Public Health Advocacy
JO  - Ann Pharm Educ Saf Public Health Advocacy
SN  - 3108-4850
Y1  - 2023
VL  - 3
IS  - 1
DO  - 10.51847/d6362jNJEq
SP  - 91
EP  - 104
N2  - In response to the evolving health landscape, healthcare professionals are increasingly expected to engage in health advocacy through health promotion at the individual, systems levels AND population. In the Academic Year 2020/2021, the National University of Singapore (NUS) Department of Pharmacy introduced a spiral integrated curriculum that combines clinical, basic, and systems sciences, with the explicit aim of strengthening students’ internalisation of health advocacy and preparing them for advocacy roles in professional practice. A mixed-methods study design was employed. Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires administered at three time points to assess students’ levels of health advocacy internalisation, which were subsequently categorised and analysed using the Mann–Whitney U test. Compared with prematriculation findings, no statistically significant change was observed after completion of the first year of the curriculum, whereas a significant increase was identified after two years of curricular exposure. Qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews conducted at the end of each academic year to further contextualise the quantitative results. Thematic analysis revealed that students perceived limited curricular integration during the first year. In contrast, the second year’s repeated reinforcement of concepts and expanded experiential learning opportunities were viewed as instrumental in enhancing students’ confidence and readiness to practise health advocacy. These findings highlight the potential of a spiral integrated curriculum to effectively foster health advocacy competencies in pharmacy education and suggest its broader applicability to other educational contexts. Longitudinal follow-up studies are warranted to examine sustained outcomes and to inform ongoing curriculum refinement.
UR  - https://smerpub.com/article/embedding-health-advocacy-as-core-professional-practice-evaluation-of-an-integrated-pharmacy-curric-gkai9pyfocf0lef
ER  -