The Assessment of Educational Needs in the Industry for Training Professionals in the Regulatory Affairs of Pharmaceuticals on the Competency and Knowledge

Abstract

Education in regulatory affairs for pharmaceuticals is crucial in order to equip experts with the necessary competency and knowledge to navigate the legal and scientific regulations involved in managing the drug lifecycle. In order to develop the framework which ensures the competency and knowledge, 6 competency requirements and 48 knowledge items were derived from the previous studies. These were then reviewed by 16 experts in three rounds of a Delphi process to assess their validity and reliability in terms of both present and required levels. The Wilcoxon Signed Ranked Test was subsequently conducted to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference between the required and present levels. and Borich's educational needs and the Locus for Focus Model were used to confirm the 12 knowledge and 1 competency areas that were identified as having high priority. Based on the findings of this study, a systematic educational program focusing on the necessary competencies and knowledge required for professionals in regulatory affairs of pharmaceuticals should be developed and established.