Pharmacoeconomics Education in the Middle East and North Africa Region: A Web-Based Research Project.

Objectives: Pharmacoeconomics (PE) is a relatively new science that is gaining special attention in many countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region that have limited healthcare resources. Therefore, education is crucial for capacity building in PE in the region. This study aimed to assess the current status of PE education in schools of pharmacy in the MENA region and shed some light on the role played by ISPOR chapters in PE education.

Methods: A survey containing 5 questions about PE education in 14 MENA countries was self-answered by 2 investigators after screening information available on college or school of pharmacy official websites.

Results: Of 176 schools of pharmacy in the MENA region, only 80 offer PE educational courses. Egypt and Jordan have the highest number of schools offering PE teaching, especially on the professional level for undergraduates. The graduate level of PE education was offered mostly in Iran and Egypt. The fundamentals of PE was the topic most taught, whereas decision analysis and modeling topics were the least taught topics. Different ISPOR chapters were found to play a crucial role in developing focused health economics education for better healthcare decision making.

Conclusions: There has been an increase in the number of schools of pharmacy offering PE education in the MENA region; however, PE education and research need improvement. Providing structured PE education should be encouraged to establish the infrastructure needed for allocation of limited healthcare resources. Furthermore, updating websites of schools of pharmacy is essential to obtain a complete picture of the PE education in the MENA region.