Pharmacists' Educational Training and Professional Activities at the Municipal Level of the Brazilian National Health System

Brazilian pharmacists' education and training aims to prepare them for the various activities they will undertake during professional practice, especially in the national health system (SUS). By using an exploratory transversal study based on a validated questionnaire, we have characterized the educational and training background of pharmacists working in SUS municipal units in Ribeirao Preto, State of Sao Paulo (SP), Brazil, and the frequency with which these professionals carry out several activities. Pharmacists working in these municipal outpatient units (N=44) graduated between 1981 and 2014 (56.8% of them graduated from public state or federal institutions), are predominantly female (84%), and are aged 25-57 years; 34% of these pharmacists have a "Generalist" degree, and 90.9% attended postgraduate programs, mostly specialization (75%). All the pharmacists pointed out the need for continuing education. The frequency with which they carry out activities varies, but those involving direct contact with patients predominate. Consultations, therapeutic follow-up, case discussions, and health promotion activities take place only occasionally. We concluded that pharmacists who work in the municipality of Ribeirao Preto, SP, are very much involved with dispensing, but not with health education or pharmacotherapeutic follow-up, so investing in education and training in these areas is necessary.