Giving due recognition to students' academic research

This past week at the central auditorium of the Institute of Health Care at Mater Dei Hospital, students of the pharmacy department of the University's Faculty of Medicine and Surgery exhibited some of their research work during the annual Pharmacy Symposium, an event in which both undergraduate and postgraduate students present the finalised work or report progress on their project, which is then submitted as a dissertation.

The 28 research projects presented could contribute directly and positively to society. They were carried out under the supervision of pharmacy academic staff with the co-operation of University experts in other areas or community pharmacists, industrial pharmacists, scientists and clinicians.

Social Policy Minister John Dalli, Parliamentary Secretary for Health Joe Cassar, pharmacists, healthcare professionals and administrators and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry were among those attending the symposium together with University academics and students.

Second year M.Sc. students and fifth year undergraduates delivered verbal presentations, fourth year students engaged in discussions, while third and second year students conducted poster presentations.

Among the numerous presentations of research work carried out was that of Charyl Fava on compliance issues in hypertension. According to the World Health Organisation, hypertension is estimated to cause 7.1 million deaths annually, about 13 per cent of the total population.

Fava highlighted that patients who take their medication as prescribed are more likely to control their blood pressure. She also reported that patients who bought their medication were (found to be) more compliant with their prescribed treatment than those who obtained them for free from the National Health Service.

It would be wise to heed University pro-rector Prof. Richard Muscat's recommendation that such research be brought to attention of the public and policymakers as it could assist them to make a more rational and sustainable use of medicines and of the pharmacy services.

During the symposium, Dalli made an important public statement about revisiting the whole Pharmacy of Your Choice scheme in an exercise that will include all stakeholders, including the pharmacy department.

British healthcare professionals' most popular source of information on medicines is the British National Formulary. However, some medicines available in Malta are not listed on this formulary. Pharmacy student Doriella Cassar produced a local medical formulary for Maltese healthcare professionals' reference, which features information on these medicines.

It is sometimes felt that Mount Carmel Hospital is left out of the progress being achieved in health care. Corinne Elbourne compiled a formulary of medicines available at this hospital together with therapeutic guidelines for their use.

It is not only Pharmacy students who, as part of their undergraduate and postgraduate work, carry out research that is useful to society. Many students of other departments produce outstanding work of a high quality.

Every year, external examiners thoroughly assess the University's final year students and in their official reports they confirm that most of our students perform well in their studies. The Faculty of Medicine and Surgery in particular, of which the Pharmacy department forms an integral part, is always showered with praise for its excellence and the high quality of its students and the doctors it educates.

Unfortunately, very little publicity is given to these achievements and the public may have the wrong impression that University staff and students spend a lot of time resting on their laurels. Hopefully, such evidence-based academic research produced by our University students will be given due recognition.