Developing consensus on entrustable professional activities for bachelor of pharmacy graduates in Namibia: A modified Delphi study.

BACKGROUND

Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) translate competencies into observable workplace tasks and are central to competency-based pharmacy education. However, context-specific EPAs for undergraduate pharmacy training in low- and middle-income countries, including Namibia, remain limited.

OBJECTIVE

To develop and achieve stakeholder consensus on core EPAs required of University of Namibia Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) graduates prior to internship.

METHODS

A two-round modified Delphi study was conducted with Namibian pharmacists from academia, public and private sectors, and regulatory bodies who had experience supervising intern pharmacists. Round 1 evaluated 40 draft EPAs derived from Namibia's 2010 National Pharmacist Competency Framework using a five-point Likert scale and open-text feedback. EPAs achieving ≥ 75% consensus progressed to Round 2, where they were assessed for essentiality, clarity, and observability using retention thresholds of ≥ 70% essential and ≥ 90% observable. Descriptive statistics and qualitative comment analysis informed refinement of the final framework.

RESULTS

Of 33 invited pharmacists, 18 completed Round 1 and 10 completed Round 2, with participant attrition occurring between rounds. Eleven EPAs were excluded after Round 1, mainly those related to veterinary medicines, disaster response, and selected management functions. In Round 2, 17 of the 29 EPAs failed observability or essentiality thresholds and were considered overly specialized, unclear, or insufficiently observable. The final 12 EPAs covered compounding and manufacturing, patient care, clinical pharmacy, supply chain management, and pharmacovigilance.

CONCLUSION

A contextually relevant EPA framework for Namibian BPharm graduates was developed and may support curriculum development, workplace-based assessment, and graduate preparedness.