Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

Pharmacy Practice Research Group

School of Pharmacy, University of Portsmouth

Research in the Division

There are five full-time and eight part-time qualified pharmacists working in the Pharmacy Practice Division. As well as providing practice, therapeutics and research methodology teaching to over 600 undergraduate and postgraduate students, most are involved in research and development in a number of areas.

NHS research focuses on the role of pharmacists in multidisciplinary healthcare teams and investigates ways of making healthcare delivery cost-effective, more efficient and safer, for the benefit of patients. The team is currently working on a Department of Health-funded project to develop Healthy Living Community Pharmacies.

There is a particular focus on risk in therapeutics and the role of the pharmacist at every stage of medicines management in both primary and secondary care. Risk management and pharmacovigilance are important parts of that process.

Research Partners

The practice group works closely with the Drug Safety Research Unit (DSRU) at Burseldon, Hampshire, an associate college of the University of Portsmouth, and is collaborating with scientists, pharmacists and clinicians there to apply considerable expertise in post-marketing surveillance to a range of topics, including safety signal generation.

The DSRU has charity status and receives funding from a variety of sources. The unit produces world-class research into the safety of marketed medicines through the application of a variety of pharmacovigilance techniques including prescription event monitoring.

Current Projects

The Pharmacy Practice Research group and the DSRU jointly supervise PhD students on projects designed to understand the safety and control of medicines in clinical use. 

Postgraduate Courses

Pharmacy Practice educational research conducted by the team has resulted in the development of innovative new postgraduate courses to Professional Doctorate level and assisted in the implementation of Government initiatives in the areas of Pharmacist Prescribing and Medicines Management. The team has developed pharmacy-specific Observed Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) that now form an important part of the MPharm degree.

Three Practice staff members are reading for Professional Doctorates (Ms Jo Blain) or PhDs (Mrs Helen Hull; Mr Mike Leech) in Pharmacy Practice. One is studying the roles of lectures and simulation in the undergraduate syllabus, one is investigating novel methods of promoting student attainment and progression, and one is evaluating the evaluation of performance standards in hospital pharmacy practice. All are practising pharmacists.

The Group is led by Professor Dave Brown.
 
In total, the group is currently supervising the research of 11 MScs, six Professional Doctorates and four PhDs.