Strategic analysis of clinical pharmacy education in Saudi Arabia

Purpose: To analyze the strategic position of clinical pharmacy education in Saudi Arabia and ensure that it meets the needs of the current industry in the country.Methods: A comprehensive and structured analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) was performed with more than 100 clinical pharmacists, academic staff, and students as participants. An internal factor evaluation (IFE), external factor evaluation (EFE), and SWOT matrix were conducted to compare the provisions of the current system with market needs.Results: The analysis involved more than 40 academic staff members, 35 clinical pharmacists, 50 students, and several administrative staff members. The EFE and IFE were calculated as 2.06 and 2.2, respectively, and were lower than the accepted international standard. The internal and external analyses involved 37 and 20 items, respectively. Finally, a SWOT matrix was constructed to help for proposing the strategies. Several strategies were recommended to address eventual shortcomings.Conclusion: The great paradigm shifts in the pharmaceutical market warrant an equal paradigm shift in clinical pharmacy education. More strategic data are needed to further analyze the market in the next five to ten years. Adopting the current educational modality to best match the needs of the pharmaceutical market is also essential. Keywords: Clinical pharmacy, Education, SWOT analysis, Strategic planning