Dear Colleagues:
The featured article in this issue of ACCP International Clinical Pharmacist highlights key national efforts to advancing the education, training, and credentialing of clinical pharmacists practicing in Chile. Titled “Advancing Clinical Pharmacy in Chile,” the article summarizes the current status and initiatives led by national organizations, including the Ministry of Health, the Division of Clinical Pharmacy of the Chilean Society of Intensive Care Medicine (SOCHIMI), and the National Autonomous Certification Corporation of Pharmaceutical Specialties (CONACEF), to set standards for the training and credentialing of clinical pharmacists in the country.
Pharmacists are encouraged to review the top 10 threats and the impact and outcome framework referenced in the article titled “WHO Releases 2019 Global Health Threats.” Pharmacists practicing in certain countries are already greatly contributing to the fight against these threats in both noncommunicable diseases and infectious diseases. Additional targeted efforts to tackle these threats by pharmacists and national pharmacy organizations worldwide will further pharmacists’ impact on improving global health.
The article titled “Pharmacists Around the Globe Now Hold Cardiology Pharmacy and Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Specialty Certifications” provides data on the specialty certifications recognized by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS). This information is based on results of the BPS examinations completed in fall 2018, which included, for the first time, examinations for the Infectious Diseases Pharmacy and Cardiology Pharmacy specialties.
Information on new offerings for specialty certification and recertification and continuing pharmacy education programs is provided in the Book Highlights department and the article titled “Expanded Board Certification Review and Recertification Programs Available Through an ACCP and ASHP collaboration.” The first article, in the Book Highlights department, features Cardiology, the first release in the 2019–2021 edition of the Pharmacotherapy Self-Assessment Program (PSAP). This article highlights new PSAP formats (interactive cases and prerecorded presentations) that appeal to certain learners and a new series titled “Statistics in Practice” that will be offered throughout the PSAP 2019–2021 releases. The second article highlights a new collaboration between the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists that affords pharmacists additional options to prepare for specialty certification examinations and earn recertification credits in five of the pharmacy specialties recognized by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS).
Also included in this issue are the article titled “2018 Cardiology Symposium in Lebanon,” featuring a brief account of the program and participants of the 2018 ACCP International Symposium, and the article titled “Visit ACCP in Barcelona!”, inviting readers who will be attending the upcoming Congress of the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) to stop by ACCP’s stand (stand 41) to learn more about opportunities for international collaboration with ACCP.
Sincerely,
Wafa Y. Dahdal, Pharm.D.