Integrating Digital Literacy into Undergraduate Pharmacy Curricula

Abstract

The growing integration of digital technologies into healthcare highlights the importance of equipping future pharmacists with essential digital literacy to fully harness their benefits. The aim of the research was to investigate the current landscape for preparing ‘digitally ready’ undergraduate pharmacy students and to develop a digital literacy framework for undergraduate pharmacy education.

A multistage mixed-methods approach was employed, comprising five stages: a systematic scoping review, a national survey and analysis of pharmacy curricula, semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, framework development, and consensus development via the Nominal Group Technique.

Findings showed inconsistencies in integrating digital literacy in pharmacy education. The scoping review identified varied global approaches to teaching, training, and assessing digital literacy, with few frameworks tailored to pharmacy education. Curriculum analysis and national survey indicate that while digital literacy is increasingly recognised in UK pharmacy schools, its inclusion in pharmacy programs remains inconsistent and often misaligned with professional expectations. Interviews with the foundation trainee, pharmacists, and academics highlighted the perceived importance of digital literacy and identified essential digital literacy competencies needed for undergraduate (UG) students. Building on insights from these stages, a digital literacy framework for UG pharmacy education was developed. The frameworks define core domains and learning outcomes essential for students to engage with digital health technologies in practice. Then the framework was refined through a group of pharmacy academics using the Nominal Group Technique to reach consensus.

This research offers a comprehensive understanding of digital literacy education within UK undergraduate pharmacy programmes and addresses the identified gap by developing an evidence-based digital literacy framework. The framework serves as a practical tool that supports educators and curriculum developers through a consistent and structured approach to integrating digital literacy into teaching and training.