Ecm, vaccination qualification course re-accredited. Deadlines ahead and options for acquiring credits

Training

pharmacists

03 April 2024

The course relating to the safe administration of the flu and COVID-19 vaccine in pharmacies – second edition – which allows access to the qualification path for pharmacists and which could see further steps, has been reaccredited and is active until mid-May. Meanwhile, the possibility of moving credits to the three-year period 2020/2022 expires at the end of June and there are various options available for pharmacists to catch up.

Enabling the administration of vaccines in pharmacies: what’s new
The second edition of the course necessary to obtain the qualification for the administration of vaccines against Covid-19 and flu, created by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità and the Fofi in collaboration with the Cannavò Foundation, while registrations are open until May 8th. The duration, as specified in the presentation, is 16 hours, usable online and offline for viewing the tutorials and for individual reading of the in-depth materials, and will allow the attribution of 20.8 Ecm credits, for those who have passed the final certification test, completed the satisfaction questionnaire and the Ecm perceived quality questionnaire. The course is intended exclusively for pharmacists who have not participated in the first edition, which expired in mid-March, and who have not yet acquired the qualification for the relevant vaccinations. The training event, as we know, intends to provide the technical-scientific contents necessary for the administration of anti-flu and anti-COVID-19 vaccinations by pharmacists and identify the elements useful for the vaccination campaign, making use of updated scientific evidence and official sources. The course, Fofi then says in a recent circular, could see further updates “on the basis of the documents prepared by the Ministry of Health relating to the 2024-2025 vaccination campaign”.

However, it should be remembered that for qualification, once the course has been passed, documented practical exercise is required. The professional tutoring activity and the issuing of the certificate of completed practical training can also be guaranteed by a pharmacist already authorized to administer vaccinations.

Ecm: active courses. Practical-evaluative internship under the spotlight
Regarding the training plan, on the Fadfodi platform, at present, the 10 courses relating to the 2024 National Training Project on Pharmacy Services are also active, which represent a requirement for participation in regional activities and which provide for the provision of 5, 4 CME credits – for a duration of 3 hours. Also available is the course dedicated to the topic “Violence against women: the role of the community pharmacy” which provides for the recognition of 6 ECM credits (4 hours). In the next period, in any case, further courses may be accredited and another topic on which there is the intention to provide support refers to the innovations deriving from the practical evaluation internship, with a focus on the regulatory and practical-operational aspects for the internship and for the practice of the profession, which will provide pharmacists, with particular reference to professional tutors, with information on the new institute foreseen in the university study programme. The course “Herpes Zoster, HPV, Pneumococcus: new strategies for treatment and prevention” remains active until June 14th.

Deadlines ahead and options available for pharmacists
Still on the subject of Ecm, it should however be remembered that June 30th is the deadline for transferring credits to the three-year period 2020/2022 on the Cogeaps portal, in order to regularize the training position – provided that these credits have been acquired through courses with event end date by 31 December 2023.
In any case, among the ways to obtain new credits there are also specific activities relating to each professional category which can be identified by the various Federations of Orders on the basis of the different needs to fall within the self-training institute. Some new types of self-training identified for pharmacists are the identification, evaluation, understanding and prevention of adverse effects or any other problem related to the use of medicines, to ensure a favorable benefit/risk ratio for the population, as well as every activity carried out in the field of pharmacovigilance, device-vigilance; the professional services carried out as part of the testing of new pharmacy services, which include, by way of example, the activities aimed at activating the Electronic Health Record, enrolling chronic patients and taking care of them, as well as adherence to therapy and telemedicine; participation in screening activities aimed at the population, as well as dissemination actions (production of information material) or participation in awareness campaigns for health prevention aimed at citizens promoted, organized or sponsored by public authorities or institutions; study activities carried out in the galenic laboratory aimed at the formulation, preparation, analysis of preparations and evaluation of the results relating to deficient medicines.
As regards the recognition of these activities, healthcare professionals can acquire credits through self-training with a maximum limit of 20% of the individual three-year training requirement. Recognition occurs based on the self-certified hourly commitment. To obtain ECM credits, simply use the specific function on the Cogeaps website and enter the requests independently.

TAGS: DISTANCE TRAINING (FAD), ECM CREDITS, CONTINUING TRAINING, VACCINATING PHARMACISTS, VACCINES