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Zoqlam, Randa, Brown, Lawrencia Louise, Ng, Terry Tin Wai, Pyzik, Oksana, Backhouse, Alison, Choudary, Natasha, Whitehead, Graham and Orlu, Mine (2026) Integrating social care into pharmacy interprofessional education through holistic collaborative learning. American journal of pharmaceutical education (101985): S0002-9459. pp. 1-22. ISSN 1553-6467
Pharmacy education is increasingly integrating social care principles to prepare students for addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) in patient care. In the UK, initiatives such as updated General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) standards, interprofessional modules, and National Health Service (NHS) led programmes like the Pharmacy Integration Programme reflect this shift toward holistic and patient-centred care. Given the rising focus on preventative care and reducing health inequities, the integration of social care into IPE fosters a holistic, public health-oriented approach, aligning with broader healthcare strategies such as social prescribing and community-based interventions. Globally, frameworks from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) also promote multidisciplinary collaboration. This commentary examines the integration of social care into pharmacy education, with particular emphasis on an interprofessional education (IPE) workshop model co-developed between University College London (UCL) School of Pharmacy and London Metropolitan University. This model brings together Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) students and MSc students from Public Health and Health & Social Care Leadership & Management programmes. Through collaborative, case-based learning, students work in mixed-discipline groups to identify unmet social needs, develop holistic interventions, and reflect on the broader implications for clinical outcomes, healthcare costs, and health equity. By aligning IPE with institutional frameworks such as UCL's framework for ensuring inclusivity within the university for both staff and students and London Metropolitan University's Education for Social Justice Framework (ESJF), pharmacy education goes beyond regulatory compliance and actively fosters a generation of pharmacists who are prepared to challenge health inequalities and drive social change.
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