Introduction

In pharmacy, all stakeholders along the supply chain—from developers of new
medications to those who deliver medications to customers (patients)—have to be
highly trained, since knowledge and accuracy are crucial to preventing errors which
can lead to fatalities. In addition, previously acquired knowledge and training in the
field is subject to continuous updates through research, field studies, and
governmental regulations, and any changes in practice have to be incorporated
without interrupting services. These challenges are further aggravated by the
interdisciplinary nature of pharmacy, where many pharmaceutical professionals need
expertise in multiple areas—in business administration, quality management, and
patient counseling, for example—as well as in pharmacy, chemistry, and medicine.

To keep up with the new information and regulations required to practice as a
pharmacist and to safely operate a pharmacy, pharmacists have to continuously
update their current knowledge, engage in seminars, do self-guided online courses,
and pass exams for certificates. Given the health care system’s increased need for
flexibility and adaptability, it is imperative that, educators, trainers, consultants,
administrators, researchers, and professors monitor current trends and issues in
pharmacy. Only continuous learning will allow pharmacists to meet the needs and
challenges of tomorrow.

Objective of the Book

This edited collection focuses on the challenge of continuous learning and combines
international research, use cases, and practical experiences in one book. The aim of
the book is to bring together related researchers and practitioners from different
research fields, reports, and discussions from students, faculty members,
researchers, and professionals in the field of pharmacy, education, business
management, economics, and industry. This book is not about one specific
pharmaceutical expertise but centers on the stakeholders in a pharmacy, especially
pharmacists themselves, who are the last link in the supply chain, the primary contact
for the patient, and often businesses stakeholders who need to discover the right
balance of profit and customer care to survive in a very competitive market.

The chapters collected for this book will have influence on future developments on
continuous learning in pharmaceutical practice. The book will help researchers and
practitioners in the field focus on strategies and trends in continuous learning which
pharmacists can use to provide the best possible service and guarantee a high
standard of safety for their customers.

In addition the book provides a theoretical understanding of the essential link
between pharmacy and education, information technology, instructional systems &
technology, community development, and improvement of the health care system.
Furthermore, the book will investigate different models world-wide (i.e. how online
courses can support pharmacists in developing countries by building a bridge for
communication and knowledge exchange).

Target Audience
The target audience of this book is composed of professionals, educators,
researchers, students—and even customers—working and participating in the field
of pharmacy, health care, and connected areas. As the book is about teaching skills
and knowledge through (distance) eLearning, the book is not limited to certain
geographical areas, but shows how practitioners can gain current knowledge and
information about pharmaceutical developments across borders using different
means of communication. The content of the book may also of interest graduate
students in areas like Biology, Chemistry, Medicine, and Biochemistry but also
business management or law who would benefit from the information and examples.


Recommended topics
Topics of interest for this edited collection include, but are not limited to, the
following. Note that the subjects are addressing continuous learning. That is, the
chapters have to demonstrate improvements, methods, or content descriptions how
different stakeholders are able to apply continuous learning while working in their
field.

Continuous Learning
Adaptive Continuous Learning
Applied Continuous Learning
Authentic Learning
Curriculum Design, Validation, Implementation
Online Content Development
Continuous Professional Development
Certification of Training
State of the art of Pharmaceutical Education
Pharmaceutical Business Management, Inventory Management, Information
Systems, Human Resources
Pharmaceutical IT Training
Handling of Hazardous and Restricted Substances
Improving On-the-job Safety
Medication-use Policy Development
Standardization, Regulations, and Quality Management
ePharmacy, Virtual Pharmacy, Internet Pharmacy, Pharmacy 2.0
Accreditation of (Online) Programs and Pharmaceutical Procedures
Patient Consulting and Pharmaceutical Services
Patient Safety in the Medication Application
Adverse Reaction, Dosage, Application, Detection of Abuse of Medication
Drug Procurement, Distribution, Surveillance, and Control
Clinical Pharmacology and Studies
Socio-demographic Influence on Pharmacy
Pharmaceutical Education without (national) Barriers
Geographic Differences of Pharmaceutical Applications
Pharmacy in Developing Countries
Ethnical, Cultural, and Social Influences on Treatment Procedures
Propagation of Risk Alerts and Critical Information
Infection Control and Prevention in Pharmacy
Disaster Management (e.g., Epidemia, Pandemia, and Recall)
Interdisciplinary Communication and Exchange of Expertise and Knowledge
Health Care System (Operations, Stakeholders, or Role of Pharmacy)
Health Care Plans and Patient Benefits
Law, Legal Systems and Ethics
Federal Regulation
Availability of Medication and Alternations
Community Health Services
Interdisciplinary Links to Other Fields (e.g., Chemistry, Biology, and Medicine)
Case Studies and Professional Experiences
Future of Pharmacy

Submission Procedure

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before February 15, 2012, a 1-
3 page chapter proposal clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her
proposed chapter. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by March 15, 2012
about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters are
expected to be submitted by June 30, 2012. All submitted chapters will be reviewed
on a double-blind review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as
reviewers for this project.

Publisher

This book is scheduled to be published in 2013 by IGI Global (formerly Idea Group
Inc.), publisher of the “Information Science Reference” (formerly Idea Group
Reference), “Medical Information Science Reference,” “Business Science
Reference,” and “Engineering Science Reference” imprints. For additional
information regarding the publisher, please visit www.igi-global.com.

Important Dates
February 15, 2012: Proposal Submission Deadline
March 15, 2012: Notification of Acceptance
June 30, 2012: Full Chapter Submission
August 30, 2012: Review Results Returned
October 30, 2012: Final Chapter Submission
November 30, 2012: Final Deadline

Editorial Advisory Board Members:
To be announced

Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word document) or by mail
to:
Dr. Torsten Reiners – chief editor
Curtin University
School of Information Systems
Kent Street
Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
Tel.: +61 (08) 9266 7642 • Fax: +61 (08) 9266 3076 • Mobile: +61 4 108 61172
E-mail: t.reiners@cbs.curtin.edu.au