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Vol.40 No.4 contents | Japanese/English |
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Full Text of PDF (429K) Article in Japanese |
Analysis of Question Trends in the Infectious Disease Section of the National Pharmacist Examination
Ryoji TAKATA1)2), Masatoshi TAGA1)2), Yoshihiro NISHITA1)2), Tatsuki MURA2)3), Yoshiko NAKAGAWA2), Yoko NODA2), Nobuhiko UEDA2)4) and Yoshitsugu IINUMA2)4)
1)Department of Pharmacy, Kanazawa Medical University Hospital, 2)Department of Infection Control Team, Kanazawa Medical University Hospital, 3)Department of Clinical Laboratory, Kanazawa Medical University Hospital, 4)Department of Infectious Disease, Kanazawa Medical University
Infectious disease-related topics are frequently featured in the national pharmacist examination in Japan. To inform future pharmacy education, this study investigated the impact of the 2016 National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR AP-16) and the COVID-19 pandemic on the content of these examinations. We analyzed the number, types, and subject domains of infection-related questions across 13 years, from the 97th to the 109th national pharmacist examinations. Questions were categorized into 10 categories, and comparisons were made between pre- and post-AMR AP-16 (97th-101st vs. 102nd-109th) and pre- and post-COVID-19 (97th-105th vs. 106th-109th) periods.
A total of 377 infection-related questions were identified. The number of such questions increased significantly from 27 to 33 following after the onset of COVID-19. Notably, significant increases were observed in the categories "infectious diseases and their treatment" and "choice of antimicrobial agents" after AMR AP-16. Post COVID-19, there were further significant increase in "infectious diseases and their treatment," "drug therapy monitoring," and "antimicrobial resistance and microbiological testing". Domain-wise, questions in "pharmacology" and "pharmacy practice" also rose, whereas other categories remained stable. These findings suggest that both AMR AP-16 and the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the inclusion of antimicrobial stewardship content in national examination. To align with these evolving trends, pharmacy education should strengthen practical training in infectious disease management and antimicrobial selection, such as through participation in Antimicrobial Stewardship Team (AST) conferences.
Key words：national examination for pharmacists, infection, COVID-19, antimicrobial stewardship, pre-service education
e-mail: ryoji-t＠kanazawa-med.ac.jp
Received: January 10, 2025
Accepted: April 26, 2025
40 (4)：175─181,2025
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