{
  "abstract": "Introduction In the absence of a national framework to inform hospital pharmacist practices, Irish standards of practice relating to education and research are unknown.Objectives A national service evaluation was undertaken to establish current standards of practice nationally relating to education and research activities within the hospital pharmacy and to identify barriers to standardising practices in these areas.Methods An online questionnaire was distributed to pharmacy department managers between May and August 2025. Questions addressed (1) current education and research practices, including the types and extent of research being conducted; and (2) barriers to pharmacist engagement in education and research. The results were analysed descriptively.Results Fifty-five of 85 (65%) potential responses were received: 27% of departments had a dedicated pharmacist for education and 7% had a dedicated research role. Regarding gaps in pharmacist education, attainment of skillsets and knowledge required of advanced specialist practice was the gap that achieved the highest level of agreement; 75% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed regarding its lack within current education programmes. Sixty-four percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that clinical skills were also a gap within pharmacist education. Regarding research, of 28 specialty areas, 29% reported producing peer-reviewed research publications within the previous 18 months. Significant barriers to increased engagement in education and research practices across the hospital pharmacy were related to time, workload and the absence of both funding and standardised frameworks.Conclusions We identified key infrastructural deficits in hospital pharmacist education, including essential and advanced specialist clinical skills. The findings support the need for a harmonised approach to continued pharmacist education and the requirement for dedicated funding to support the provision of high-quality patient care across clinical specialities. This should be supported by the development of a structured competency framework. Similar strategies are required to support improved engagement in pharmacist-led research.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Pharmacy, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland",
        "Pharmacy, St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, Dublin, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Ita Fitzgerald"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Pharmacy, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Carina O’Brien"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Pharmacy, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Marie Richardson"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Pharmacy, Tallaght Hospital, Dublin, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Evelyn Deasy"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Pharmacy, Portiuncula University Hospital, Ballinasloe, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Richard Sykes"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Marymount University Hospital and Hospice, Cork, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Sarah Marshall"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "National Rehabilitation Hospital, Dún Laoghaire, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Orla Nolan"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Pharmacy, Tallaght Hospital, Dublin, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Anna Seoighe"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Pharmacy, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Olaitan Jeremiah"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Pharmacy, South East Technological University, Waterford, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Sarah Brown"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Pharmacy, Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin, Crumlin, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Kara Tedford"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland",
        "St James’s Hospital, Dublin, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Niamh M McMahon"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "St James’s Hospital, Dublin, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Edel O’Dea"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Pharmacy, Mayo University Hospital, Castlebar, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Niamh Weir"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "National Rehabilitation Hospital, Dún Laoghaire, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Tamasine Grimes"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Pharmacy, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland",
        "Pharmacy, University Hospital Waterford, Waterford, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Darren Walsh"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Education and research practices in Irish hospital pharmacies: a national service evaluation by the Hospital Pharmacists Association of Ireland Specialist Interest Group on Education and Research",
  "uid": "0b4360e9-1cca-5440-b3f3-c52744d4f79e"
}