Quality and Accreditation in Pharmacy Education

Abstract Quality is a universal issue, sought everywhere, and the culture and concepts of quality are very important for the pharmacy profession in particular. Quality is classically built in various pharmacy-related practices. In 2007, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) developed a global framework for quality assurance of pharmacy education. In the United States, accreditation is not directly controlled by the government, but in many other countries it is controlled by a governmental agency. The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE, USA), the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) and the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) are examples of accreditation organizations (called External Quality Assurance Agencies and abbreviated as EQAAs) that work nationally and internationally to recognize pharmacy programs.