Analysis of factors affecting pharmacists' ability to identify and solve problems

BACKGROUND: Among Japanese pharmacists, there is a gap in their commitment to self-improvement and a possible gap in their ability to identify and solve problems. However, the factors causing this situation have not yet been clarified. This study was conducted to identify factors that influence the abilities of Japanese pharmacists to identify and solve problems, which are skills considered essential for this profession. A prior history of presenting at academic conferences was set as a surrogate outcome to clarify whether having this experience affects the factors. METHODS: A nationwide internet-based survey was conducted among 300 participating hospitals and 300 community pharmacists. The survey was discontinued when the sample size of each group reached 300. The respondents were categorized into two groups on the basis of their experience of presenting at academic conferences in the survey item “status of self-improvement after employment.” Their association with other survey items was determined using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The multivariate analysis revealed that 152 (50.7%) hospital pharmacists and 41 (13.7%) community pharmacists had presented at academic conferences. Among the hospital pharmacists, the experience of presenting at academic conferences was significantly associated with the “age 30 s (*references 20 s),” “presence of pharmacists to consult,” “experience supervising interns,” and “number of types of self-improvement” factors. For the community pharmacists, prior conference presentation experience was significantly associated with “age over 70 s,” “highest educational background (doctoral or master’s degree),” and “number of types of self-improvement.” CONCLUSION: This pioneering study suggests that having prior experience of presenting at academic conferences as a surrogate outcome of pharmacists' problem-finding and problem-solving skills may be related to the support provided by human environmental factors at the facility, the status of self-improvement, and the highest educational background.