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Objective: Bipolar disorder displays a spectrum of manifestations, including manic, hypomanic, depressive, mixed, psychotic, and atypical episodes, contributing to its chronic nature and association with heightened suicide risk. Creating effective pharmacotherapy guidelines is crucial for managing bipolar disorder and reducing its prevalence. Treatment algorithms grounded in science have improved symptom management, but variations in recommended medications arise from research differences, healthcare policies, and cultural nuances globally. Methods: This study compares Korea’s bipolar disorder treatment algorithm with guidelines from the UK, Australia, and an international association. The aim is to uncover disparities in key recommended medications and their underlying factors. Differences in CYP450 genotypes affecting drug metabolism contribute to distinct recommended medications. Variances also stem from diverse guideline development approaches—expert consensus versus metaanalysis results—forming the primary differences between Korea and other countries. Results: Discrepancies remain in international guidelines relying on meta-analyses due to timing and utilized studies. Drug approval speeds further impact medication selection. However, limited high-quality research results are the main cause of guideline variations, hampering consistent treatment conclusions. Conclusion: Korea’s unique Delphi-based treatment algorithm stands out. To improve evidence-based recommendations, large-scale studies assessing bipolar disorder treatments for the Korean population are necessary. This foundation will ensure future recommendations are rooted in scientific evidence.

Background: Medication’s benefits and harms require careful management. Laws mandate pharmacists to provide essential medication details since inadequate counseling may pose risks. This study explores public expectations for pharmacist-provided side effect information to enhance safety. Methods: A self-developed questionnaire was created for participant to self-report, refined through pilot surveys with experts and laypersons. Nineteen items were categorized into four sections, using closed-ended questions. Adults over 20, having obtained prescription medications within the past year, were surveyed via convenience sampling. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics and T-tests using IBM SPSS Statistics 21 and Microsoft Excel. Results: The study involved 189 participants, with a slightly higher proportion of females (59.3%) than males (40.7%), predominantly in their 20s (45.0%) and college graduates (57.1%). Health professionals represented 76.2% of respondents. Over half visited pharmacies at least 5 times yearly for prescriptions. Indirect experience with side effects was more common (30.2%) than direct experience (17.5%). Most (82.0%) showed interest in media-reported side effect events. Satisfaction with pharmacist-provided side effect explanations was low (59.7%), but importance was high (98.9%). Preferences favored combined verbal and written explanations (65.1%), with a majority desiring explanations for common but less serious side effects (82.5%). Healthcare professionals found explanations significantly more sufficient than non-professionals did. Older individuals, those living with elderly, and frequent pharmacy visitors attributed greater importance to pharmacist-provided explanations. Conclusion: Koreans view pharmacist-provided medication side effect explanations as vital but find current services lacking. Enhancements in content and delivery methods are needed in pharmacy counseling to meet public expectations.

Background: With the increasing use of narcotic analgesics, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has been operating the National Narcotics Information Management System (NIMS) since 2018 in Korea. Some studies are related to the narcotic analgesics use, but the evaluation studies of system, including NIMS users are insufficient. Objective: This study evaluated the NIMS enforcement process through in-depth interviews on the experience of using NIMS of doctors and pharmacists who prescribe or dispense opioid analgesics. Methods: Participants in this study were selected through purposeful sampling as three doctors and two pharmacists in the metropolitan area. The interviews were conducted from August 27 to October 19, 2022. Each interview was analyzed using a phenomenological method. Results: Six components of this study included “Doctors and pharmacists come across drug abusers”, “They respond individually to drug abusers”, “They use NIMS tailored to the needs of system managers”, “They are concerned about the role of NIMS in practice settings”, “They face challenges against drug abusers” and “They find a way to utilize the system to deal with drug abusers.” The interviews confirmed that doctors and pharmacists used NIMS little in their work, and they only reported data. Therefore, it might be difficult for doctors and pharmacists to take measures for the safe use of narcotic analgesics. Conclusion: It is likely that adding data-feedback and medication-check function can reduce the abuse of narcotic analgesics. In the future, further studies on the evaluation of the empirical results of NIMS and review of systems in other countries will be required.

Objective: There is a growing interest in the safe use of medications in pregnant and breastfeeding women. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to find ways to improve education about safe medication use by investigating the status of medication use of pregnant and breastfeeding women, and by evaluating their knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward safe medication use. Methods: In this study, a self-report questionnaire was conducted on pregnant or breastfeeding women in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The questionnaire consisted of the following four sections; 1) sociodemographic characteristics of participants, 2) experience of medication use, 3) experience of being educated on safe medication use, and 4) knowledge, attitudes, and practices about medication use during pregnancy/breastfeeding. Results: A total of 203 participants were included in the analysis. Of these, 38.4% reported to take prescription medications during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Regarding education on safe medication use, nearly 90% of the participants answered that they were not educated or were unsure whether they had it. In the knowledge-attitude-practice evaluation on safe medication use, the knowledge level was the highest (mean, 4.45), followed by the attitude level (mean, 3.58) and the practice level (mean, 3.33). The preferred education method of the participants was online education using a computer or mobile phone application, etc. Conclusions: This study suggests that there is a need for systematic and effective education that can link knowledge of safe medication use with attitudes and practices in pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Background: Professional identity among novice health professions students is fluid and context-dependent, constructed through narratives that integrate personal experience and social expectations. Following Korea’s transition to a six-year pharmacy program directly admitting high school graduates, little is known about how new entrants construct and interpret their career choices. Objective: This study explored how first- and second-year pharmacy students narrate their choice of pharmacy and how early collegiate experiences shape career reflection. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 first- and second-year students at a pharmacy school. Transcripts were thematically analyzed using category aggregation, with credibility enhanced through triangulation and participant feedback. Results: Students’ narratives revealed four main drivers of career choice: strong family influence, personal interests and dispositions, admissions and institutional structures, and selective preference for pharmacy over medicine. Career values centered on stability, economic security, and social prestige, though some emphasized intrinsic interest and growth. Early curricular activities and peer interactions broadened perspectives toward research, industry, and regulatory roles. A minority reported lack of direction and motivation, showing that secure admission alone did not ensure sustained purpose. Conclusion: Findings align with prior research in health professions, underscoring the powerful role of family expectations and sociocultural context. Students demonstrated nascent career narratives strongly influenced by external factors, highlighting the importance of educational opportunities that promote narrative reflection. Structured interventions such as seminars, mentoring, and diverse career role models may foster intentional exploration and the formation of a mature professional identity.

Beginning in March 2026, South Korea will implement the Community Care Integration Act to establish a nationwide system linking healthcare, long-term care, and social services—particularly for the elderly, who face high risks from chronic diseases and polypharmacy. Although the Act formally acknowledges pharmacists’ roles in integrated care (Article 15, Clause 7), their participation remains limited and their clinical expertise underutilized. This study investigates strategies to enhance the integration of pharmacists into South Korea’s community care system by analyzing pharmacist-led medication management services in Australia. Australia has developed a robust healthcare and medication safety framework through national and state-level agencies (e.g., Home Medicines Review (HMR), and Residential Medication Management Review (RMMR)). These services improve medication safety and adherence through structured medication reviews and interdisciplinary collaboration. In contrast, pharmacist-led services in Korea remain fragmented and are not yet systematically embedded within the integrated care infrastructure, despite a series of pilot initiatives since 2018 aimed at managing polypharmacy in both hospital and community settings. These pilots, however, offer a foundational platform for national-scale adoption. Based on the Australia’s experience, this paper recommends establishment standardized medication review protocols, expanding pharmacist roles services within interdisciplinary teams, and provision of financial and institutional support to ensure sustainable implementation. Deploying clinically trained pharmacists in community settings will be critical to safeguarding medication use and advancing person-centered care for Korea’s aging population.

Background: Interprofessional education (IPE) is important for collaboration between professionals in the team-based practices of the healthcare field. Objectives: This study aimed to examine pharmacy students across in Korea on the experience of IPE and the perceptions of the importance of interprofessional collaboration (IPC) and the need of IPE. Methods: A cross-sectional survey using a 20 questionnaire to pharmacy students nationwide was conducted from March to May 2019. Results: A total of 555 students from 32 pharmacy schools participated. They recognized that the importance of close pharmacist-medical doctor collaboration was an average of 5.38 points (out of 6 points), but the current level of pharmacist-to-medical doctor collaboration was an average of 2.51 points (out of 6 points), and the reasons for the insufficient IPC were the lack of an environment encouraging mutual cooperation (79.5%) and the psychological distance to the other professional (35.3%). They perceived the necessity of IPE between pharmacistmedical doctor was 4.95 points (out of 6 points), with the curriculum including how to cooperate with medical doctors (78.2%), communication skills (51.0%), and understanding of medical doctors’ functions (44.5%), etc. Only 52 respondents (9.4%) had experience in IPE. Respondents who recognized the importance of IPC (≥5 points) showed 4.44-fold higher agreement on the need for IPE than those who did not (≤4 points) (OR 4.44, 95% CI 2.56, 7.68). Conclusions: Further attention and discussion to add IPE program in the pharmacy school curriculum is necessary in order to cultivate pharmacists with sufficient professional collaboration capabilities.

Background: As the profession evolves, pharmacy schools worldwide are recognizing the importance of leadership education, starting at the undergraduate level. This study examined the status of leadership education in international pharmacy programs to propose strategies for effective implementation in Korean pharmacy schools. Methods: Leadership curricula from 34 pharmacy schools across 5 countries (the US, the UK, Canada, Japan, and Australia) were collected from school websites, syllabi, and articles using keywords such as “leadership” or “leader” and analyzed based on course titles, academic years taught, program types (e.g., required, elective, or cocurricular and extracurricular), credits, content, teaching and learning methods, and assessments. Results: Although most pharmacy schools teach pharmacy leadership, objectives, content, teaching methods, and assessment approaches vary. Most programs offer these as elective (50.0%) or required (38.5%) courses, both of which are more common than cocurricular or extracurricular formats (11.6%). The course content often includes leadership theories, competencies, self-development and reflection, organizational management, and global themes. Most courses are 1~2 credits and use various methods, including lectures, discussions, projects, case studies, and guest speakers. Conclusions: The findings identify substantial variation in leadership education across pharmacy curricula. To prepare students to take on leadership roles within the pharmacy profession and face a changing health care system, schools should recognize and raise awareness of the importance of leadership education and ensure their curricula also reflect this. Furthermore, these findings suggest the need to develop a systematic curriculum with practical and experiential learning methods to promote leadership competency.

Background: There was an important revision of the Korean Clinical Practice Guideline for Stroke (KCPGS) for antithrombotic therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke in 2022. This review is to provide an updated information in this revision. Methods: The revision history by year after the first announcement was examined for each topic, focusing on antithrombotic therapy during acute phase which was revised in 2022. We compared before and after the revision, and investigated the clinical outcomes presented as evidence. It was also compared with the current U.S. guidelines. Results: The major changes about antiplatelet therapy are a clause stating that dual antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel and aspirin initiated within 24 hours from the stroke onset and maintained for up to 21-30 days is recommended as an acute treatment, as well as the clause that antithrombotic therapy may be initiated within 24 hours after intravenous thrombolytics and that the use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists can be considered in highly selected patients as rescue therapy taking into account of benefit and risk. The change to the use of anticoagulants is that it may be reasonable to start oral anticoagulant between 4 and 14 days after stroke onset for patients with acute ischemic stroke and atrial fibrillation. Conclusions: It will be helpful in improving health outcomes for clinical pharmacists to be aware of the latest information for antithrombotic therapy and to actively use it in pharmaceutical care of stroke patients.

Background: Learning activities (LAs) regarding direct patient care in the ward are an important part of the pharmacy school education to enhance professional competency. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacy students’ satisfaction with the quality of hospital pharmacy practice experience has decreased, and there is limited study on the status of LAs regarding the direct patients care in hospitals. Therefore, this study aims to determine the current status of direct patients care LAs and their barriers to ensure level and consistency of education. Method: A survey study was conducted among pharmacists in charge of student education about the status of direct patients care LAs in their hospitals by using survey questionnaires in 2024. This survey questions consisted of dichotomous questions, expressed as percentages. Results: Among 26 hospitals, 88.5% (n=23) responded. 71.4% (5 cases) of tertiary hospitals with more than 1,000 beds conducted direct inpatient care LAs. 33.3% (3 cases) of general hospitals with 700-300 beds conducted direct patient care LAs. The lowest direct patient cares LAs (16.7% versus 9.1%) was antimicrobial stewardship intervention in two types of hospitals. Overall, the level of direct patient cares LAs in the ward was not consistent between two types of hospitals. The major barrier to the implementation of direct inpatient cares LAs in both types of hospitals was the lack of pharmacists. Conclusion: This result sheds light on the importance of developing new strategies for training programs in the ward and ensuring level and consistency in learning approach.