Program Overview

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Master's Program in Pharmaceutical Care Outcomes and Policies

The Master's Program in Pharmaceutical Care Outcomes and Policies is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct research in pharmaceutical care outcomes and policies. The program aims to train highly skilled researchers to conduct high-quality research in pharmaceutical care outcomes and policies, produce original research to help evaluate and improve healthcare decisions, and contribute to improving medication use in the community.

Program Vision

The program's vision is to provide leadership and excellence in conducting research on pharmaceutical care outcomes and policies at the Arab and regional levels.

Program Objectives

The program's objectives are to:

• Train highly skilled researchers to conduct high-quality research in pharmaceutical care outcomes and policies.
• Produce original research to help evaluate and improve healthcare decisions for physicians and patients.
• Conduct research on the clinical and economic impacts of pharmaceutical services and medications at the level of healthcare facilities and the community.
• Contribute to improving medication use in the community by verifying drug efficacy and mitigating side effects.
• Produce scientific evidence to improve community health, patient care, and ensure efficient use of financial resources in the Kingdom's health sectors.

Knowledge and Understanding

The program aims to provide students with the following knowledge and understanding:

• Explaining research methods and methodologies related to pharmaceutical care outcomes and policies research.
• Knowledge of statistical methods used in pharmaceutical care outcomes and policies research.
• Integrating the fundamental sciences in the field of health services with methods of evaluating their efficiency and potential value among individuals and groups.

Cognitive Skills

The program aims to provide students with the following cognitive skills:

• Identifying, interpreting, and critically evaluating research literature in the field of pharmaceutical care outcomes and policies.
• Participating in the design and conduct of research that makes an original contribution to improving patient health and healthcare outcomes.
• Applying appropriate research methods to address questions and problems in the field of pharmaceutical care outcomes and policies research.
• Identifying problems in healthcare, exploring potential strategies for solving them, and prioritizing them, and designing, implementing, and evaluating feasible solutions.

Professional and Practical Skills

The program aims to provide students with the following professional and practical skills:

• Leading research personally in the program.
• Working effectively as a leader and team member.
• Managing meetings and scientific discussions effectively and professionally.
• Utilizing human and financial resources to improve the efficiency of medication and medical services use.
• Comparing and contrasting the components of model drug use systems in the various fields in which pharmacy is practiced.

General Skills

The program aims to provide students with the following general skills:

• Conducting scientific activities ethically.
• Joining and attending meetings of scientific and professional organizations.
• Networking with local researchers to conduct high-quality research at the local level.
• Communicating and publishing research findings orally at conferences, or through writing in conferences and peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Program Beneficiaries

The program's beneficiaries include:

• Universities and educational institutions in Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries that work in the field of educating pharmacists and preparing them for work in the health sector.
• Regulatory institutions and bodies that work on formulating systems and laws regulating the work of the health sector.
• Healthcare institutions and hospitals; to evaluate the efficiency of spending and the quality of the outputs of healthcare provided to patients.
• Health product manufacturing and marketing companies; to formulate strategic plans for product manufacturing and marketing.
• Consultancy and research centers that design and implement studies necessary for making evidence-based decisions.
• Institutions concerned with collecting health data at the national level; to evaluate healthcare outcomes from various service providers; to monitor progress towards achieving the desired strategic goals for community health in the Kingdom's Vision 2030.

Course Selection Options

The program requires 39 credit hours, including the research project, as follows:

• Mandatory Courses: 12 courses, 25 credit hours
• Elective Courses: 4 courses, 8 credit hours
• Research Project: 2 courses, 6 credit hours
• Total: 18 courses, 39 credit hours

Study Program

The study program consists of the following courses:

Level 1

1. 571: Research Methods (3+0)
2. 572: Applied Biostatistics (2+2)
3. 573: Principles of Research Ethics (1+0)
4. 574: Principles of Pharmacoeconomics (3+0)
5. 575: Fundamentals of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Systems (2+0)

Level 2

1. 576: Principles of Pharmacoepidemiology (2+0)
2. 577: Applied Pharmacoeconomics (2+2)
3. 581: Seminar (1) (1+2)
4. 583: Research Project - 1 (0+6)
5. Elective 1: Elective Course (1) (2+0)

Level 3

1. 578: Patient-Reported and Clinical Outcomes (2+0)
2. 579: Comparative Effectiveness Studies (2+0)
3. 580: Scientific Writing (2+0)
4. 584: Research Project - 2 (0+6)
5. Elective 2: Elective Course (2) (2+0)

Level 4

1. 582: Seminar (2) (1+2)
2. Elective 3: Elective Course (3) (2+0)
3. Elective 4: Elective Course (4) (2+0)

List of Elective Courses

1. 585: Medication Vigilance and Patient Safety (2+0)
2. 586: Advanced Pharmaceutical Product Marketing (2+0)
3. 587: Social and Behavioral Aspects of Pharmacy Practice (2+0)
4. 588: Advanced Epidemiology (2+0)
5. 589: Health Technology Assessment (2+0)
6. 592: Health Care Financing (2+0)
7. 593: Medication Therapy Management (2+0)
8. 594: Value-Based Healthcare (2+0)
9. 595: Advanced Hospital Pharmacy Management (2+0)
10. 596: Fundamentals of Public Health (2+0)
11. 597: Pharmaceutical Systems and Policies (2+0)

Course Descriptions

571: Research Methods (3+0)

This course covers the research process in pharmaceutical care outcomes and policies, from identifying research problems using various methodologies to collecting data and interpreting results in light of the strengths and weaknesses of different research methodologies.

572: Applied Biostatistics (2+2)

This course covers the statistical analysis skills needed for pharmacy-related research.

573: Principles of Research Ethics (1+0)

This course discusses ethical issues in research.

574: Principles of Pharmacoeconomics (3+0)

This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts of pharmacoeconomics and aims to equip students with techniques and methods for evaluating and calculating the economic data of healthcare.

575: Fundamentals of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Systems (2+0)

In this course, students will learn about the wide variety of health and disease determinants and the different health systems and policies followed in different countries around the world.

576: Principles of Pharmacoepidemiology (2+0)

This course aims to provide students with an understanding of the fundamentals and principles of designing, presenting, and interpreting epidemiological studies.

577: Applied Pharmacoeconomics (2+2)

This course provides an advanced review of the methodologies of pharmacoeconomics and its research.

578: Patient-Reported and Clinical Outcomes (2+0)

This course covers patient-reported outcomes, health status measures, quality of life, and satisfaction with healthcare.

579: Comparative Effectiveness Studies (2+0)

This course provides an introduction to comparative effectiveness research.

580: Scientific Writing (2+0)

This course aims to equip students with scientific writing skills.

581: Seminar (1) (1+2)

This course is part of a seminar series that brings together faculty members, graduate students, clinicians, and researchers from the pharmaceutical industry.

582: Seminar (2) (1+2)

This course is part of a seminar series that brings together faculty members, graduate students, clinicians, and researchers from the pharmaceutical industry.

583: Research Project - 1 (0+6)

Students conduct and present the results of a scientific study in one of the fields of pharmaceutical care outcomes and policies research.

584: Research Project - 2 (0+6)

Students conduct and present the results of a scientific study in one of the fields of pharmaceutical care outcomes and policies research.

585: Medication Vigilance and Patient Safety (2+0)

This course introduces students to strategies for improving patient safety.

586: Advanced Pharmaceutical Product Marketing (2+0)

This course teaches the current pharmaceutical marketing environment from both academic and practical perspectives.

587: Social and Behavioral Aspects of Pharmacy Practice (2+0)

This course discusses how social and individual behaviors intersect with health and disease behaviors.

588: Advanced Epidemiology (2+0)

This course covers the complex issues behind the design and interpretation of epidemiological studies.

589: Health Technology Assessment (2+0)

This course aims to educate students on the efficiency in designing, commissioning, and reviewing health technology assessments.

592: Health Care Financing (2+0)

This course introduces students to healthcare financing systems.

593: Medication Therapy Management (2+0)

This course equips students with the skills to ensure that individuals take their medications as prescribed.

594: Value-Based Healthcare (2+0)

This course equips students with the skills to improve care delivery processes and implement an effective value measurement system.

595: Advanced Hospital Pharmacy Management (2+0)

This course prepares students for administrative, supervisory, and leadership responsibilities in hospital pharmacy.

596: Fundamentals of Public Health (2+0)

This course aims to explain the factors that lead to the unequal distribution of health and disease in the world.

597: Pharmaceutical Systems and Policies (2+0)

This course introduces students to the regulatory and policy issues related to the pharmaceutical sector at both the national and global levels.