A comparative study of the depth, breadth, and perception of pharmacogenomics instruction in a subgroup of US pharmacy curricula

Introduction: This study was designed to assess the depth, breadth, and perception of pharmacogenomics education in pharmacy curricula in the United States (US). Methods: A modified, online questionnaire from previous studies was sent to all accredited US schools and colleges of pharmacy. The survey covered three distinct areas related to the schools' educational environments, the depth and the extent of pharmacogenomics core competencies and topics taught, and the institutions' perceptions of the importance of pharmacogenomics in the curriculum and future plans for expanded pharmacogenomics education. Multiple approaches were used to increase the response rate, and results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Of the 133 eligible programs, 32 participated in the survey. Six invalid surveys were excluded from our study, resulting in a 19.6% response rate. Results revealed that all responding schools included pharmacogenomics in the curriculum. Interestingly, 76.9% of the respondents believed pharmacists do not have the appropriate knowledge of pharmacogenomics. However, only 30.7% indicated that their programs planned to expand pharmacogenomics in their curriculum. Conclusions: The responding schools all included some pharmacogenomics in their curriculum. However, the depth and the extent of pharmacogenomics topics covered varied. Respondents perceived that pharmacists today do not possess the appropriate level of pharmacogenomics knowledge. Despite this, there is limited emphasis on expanding pharmacogenomics instruction in the responding schools' curriculums.