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Understanding the historical evolution of pharmacy practice. A cross national study (2007-2008)

The aim of the project is to investigate the evolution of pharmacy work in the UK, comparing it with the situation and the historical trends in other OECD countries. 

The research is funded by the WBS R&D Fund and will be carried out in collaboration with the University of Bergamo (Italy), the Goteborg Research Institute (Sweden), and the University of Alberta School of Business (Canada).

The research will be articulated in two main stages: the investigation in the UK and the cross national comparison. 

Stage 1: The UK study

The UK study will last 7 months and will be based on a combination of expert interviews and collection of historical and archival data. This stage will be carried out in parallel with the other national studies that will be carried out.

About 10 expert interviews will be conducted at the beginning of the study with members of the Royal Association of Pharmacists, pharmacy historians, and academics. The interviews will allow us to build an initial map of the major changes in the nature of pharmacy work in the XX century and to identify the relevant documentary sources. Based on the results of this first part of the study, the researchers will then collect the necessary archival data, which will likely include policy documents and acts of parliament, reports to the regulatory bodies, professional associations and NHS documents, newspapers and magazine articles.

Stage 2: International comparison and write up

The cross national comparison will be carried out through two workshops in Bergamo (Italy) in October 2007 and Warwick University (UK) in March 2008. 

Project Team:

Davide Nicolini (IKON)
Sotiris Melioumis
(IROB-MAOS Programme)