Center for Drug Information and Evidence-Based Pharmacy to Boost Pharmacy Education

United Arab Emirates, 10 August 2020: The new Center at Gulf Medical University for Drug Information and Evidence-Based Pharmacy at Thumbay University Hospital is reforming Pharmacy Education and Practice in the region. College of Pharmacy at Gulf Medical University is the first to start a drug information center by an Academic Institution in the UAE. It is a center of excellence with collaborations with Washington State University and the Medical University of South Carolina in the USA. The roles of the center for Drug Information and Evidence-Based Practice includes providing drug information support in direct patient care and in establishing an evidence-based practice with a scientific mix of evidence, local expertise, and patient values. The center for Drug Information and Evidence-Based Practice is responsible to provide best quality drug information in a timely manner to healthcare professionals in achieving better treatment outcomes in their patients. It helps in the informed decision-making process. It is also responsible to support high-quality patient care ensuring patient safety with the selection of right medicines to hospital formulary and revision of clinical protocols.

Pharmacists traditionally been scientists. They discovered and prepared medicines. With dispensing for rational drug use, pharmacists monitor for medication safety and effectiveness. Based on scientific data, they improvised medicines and medical devices. Drug information and evidence-based practice is a hallmark of pharmacists. It scientifically and intellectually enhances pharmacy practice, respected by their patients and fellow clinicians. 

The doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program is a higher-level program in the USA, and the MENA region is moving in that direction too. PharmD program is imparting higher scholarly skills in students. Students are transformed into respectable clinicians with high experiential and research learning. 

The center for drug information and evidence-based pharmacy operated by the College of Pharmacy at Gulf Medical University provides a unique opportunity for pharmacy students to practice and learn from real-world experience. Gulf Medical University being part of the Thumbay Group is blessed with its own hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies in UAE. Students with excellent merits are given job opportunities in its healthcare institutions. 

Gulf Medical University 

Gulf Medical University (GMU), Ajman, has six colleges and offers 26 accredited programs with students of over 86 nationalities. The undergraduate programs offered by GMU include Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, Biomedical Sciences, Healthcare Management & Economics, Anesthesia Technology, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Physiotherapy, Medical Imaging Sciences and Associate Degree in Preclinical Sciences. Graduate programs are offered in Public Health, Physical Therapy, Endodontology, Periodontics, Clinical Pharmacy, Healthcare Management & Economics, Health Professions Education and Medical Laboratory Sciences. Located in Thumbay Medicity, Ajman, the hub of state-of-the-art medical education, healthcare and research, GMU provides clinical training to its students through the various academic health centers of the Gulf Medical University Academic Health System, including Thumbay University Hospital, Thumbay Dental Hospital and Thumbay Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Hospitals located in the campus. Since its inception 22 years ago, around 2000 students have passed out of GMU and successfully working at various positions – including CEOs, COOs, Medical Directors and Head of Departments – in the healthcare industry in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Europe, America and Australasia. Among them are a number of Emirati medical practitioners who have made a mark in many UAE hospitals, helping the country advance towards its healthcare goals. The University’s academic and research tie-ups with over 60 international universities and research institutions ensures global acceptance and employability.