The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) for pharmaceutical education in Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46542/pe.2026.261.318329Keywords:
Brazil, Fourth industrial revolution innovation, Pharmaceutical education, Pharmacy degree programme, TechnologyAbstract
Background: The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) integrates digital, physical and biological technologies and is transforming many sectors, including pharmacy. In order to prepare future professionals for this new scenario, undergraduate pharmacy programs need to adapt to the new technological requirements. This article analyses pharmaceutical education, focusing on the Brazilian National Curriculum Guidelines and their application and adaptation to the demands of the 4IR.
Methods: To this end, a documentary survey analysed undergraduate pharmaceutical education in Brazil, considering the Pedagogical Program (PP) of ten programs with grades four or five in the National Higher Education Evaluation System (SINAES).
Results: Despite some improvements, the 2a\curricula still reflect the previous industrial revolutions (2IR and 3IR) more than the innovations of the 4IR.
Conclusion: The study concludes that it is necessary to update pharmaceutical education in Brazil and train professionals to integrate with emerging technologies.
References
Abdel Aziz, M. H., Rowe, C., Soutwood, R., Nogid, A., Berman, S., & Gustafson, K. (2023). A scoping review of artificial intelligence within pharmacy education. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 88(1), 100615. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpe.2023.100615
Almeida, L. (2020). IoMT: Internet of things revolutionising healthcare. Nexxto, São Paulo.
Alsharif N. Z. (2019). Disruptive Innovation: Implications for Pharmacy Education. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002945923022763
Ambrosus. (2018). The 4th Industrial Revolution: What the future holds. Medium. https://medium.com/ambrosus/the-4th-industrial-revolution-what-the-future-holds-6c52a25acde4
Baines, D., Nørgaard, L. S., Babar, Z.-U.-D., & Rossing, C. (2020). The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Will it change pharmacy practice? Research in Social Administrative Pharmarcy, 16(9), 1279–1281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2019.04.003
Bardin, L. (2020). Content analysis (5th edition, revised and updated edition). Edições 70.
Barnett, R. (2000). Realising the university in an age of supercomplexity. Open University Press.
Belluzzo, R. C. B., & Dudziak, E. A. (2009). Education, information, and technology in contemporary society: key differentiators for innovation? Brazilian Journal of Library Science and Documentation, 4(2), 44–51. https://rbbd.febab.org.br/rbbd/article/view/111
Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2011). Teaching for quality learning at university (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education; SRHE & Open University Press.
Blank, S. (2020). The four steps to the epiphany: Successful strategies for products that win. Wiley.
Brasil. (2017). Ministry of Education. National Council of Education. Higher Education Chamber. Resolution CNE/CES No. 6, of October 19, 2017. Establishes the National Curriculum Guidelines for the undergraduate course in Pharmacy. Official Gazette of the Union, section 1, Brasília, DF, October 20, 2017.
Brasil. (2002). Ministry of Education. National Council of Education. Higher Education Chamber. Resolution CNE/CES No. 2, of February 19, 2002. Establishes the National Curriculum Guidelines for the undergraduate course in Pharmacy. Official Gazette of the Union, section 1, Brasília, DF, February 20, 2002.
Brasil. (1990). Law No. 8,080, of September 19, 1990. Provides for the conditions for the promotion, protection and recovery of health, the organization and operation of the corresponding services, and other measures. Official Gazette of the Union, Section 1, Brasília, DF, September 20, 1990.
Cain, J. (2019). Using TED Talks to inspire creativity and innovation in pharmacy education. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 80(10), 170. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28179719/
Chesbrough, H. (2003). Open innovation: The new imperative for creating and profiting from technology. Harvard Business Review Press.
Conselho Federal de Farmácia (CFF). (2019). 10th National Conference on Pharmaceutical Education, 10th National Meeting of Pharmacy Course Coordinators: Innovating and integrating for better training – Proceedings https://www.cff.org.br/userfiles/Anais%202019.pdf
Conselho Federal de Farmácia (CFF). (2015a). Pharmaceutical education under debate https://www.cff.org.br/noticia.php?id=2582&titulo=Educa%C3%A7%C3%A3o+farmac%C3%AAutica+em+debate
Conselho Federal de Farmácia (CFF). (2015b). Official Letter No. 9504/2015/PRES-CFF – Nomination of Delegates for the II National Forum on the National Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Pharmacy Courses.
Federal Council of Pharmacy (CFF) & Brazilian Association of Pharmaceutical Education (ABEF). (2015). Consolidated discussions from the State Forums. Brasília, DF: CFF/ABEF.
National Council of Education (CNE). (2001). Opinion CNE/CES No. 1300/2001, of November 6, 2001: Establishes National Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Courses in Pharmacy and Dentistry.
http://portal.mec.gov.br/cne/arquivos/pdf/CES1300.pdf
Christensen C.M., Grossman JH, Hwang J. (2009). The innovator’s prescription: A disruptive solution for health care.New York: McGraw-Hill.
Dalla Costa, E. M. O. (Coord.). (2015). Brazilian Congress of Pharmaceutical Education: IX National Meeting of Course Coordinators, IX National Conference on Pharmaceutical Education, VI National Forum on Pharmaceutical Education – Theme: Pharmaceutical education: Challenges and paths in the art of training to transform. Proceedings. UEL
Drucker, P. F. (1985). Innovation and entrepreneurship: Practice and principles. Harper & Row.
Etzkowitz, H., & Leydesdorff, L. (2000). The dynamics of innovation: From National Systems and “Mode 2” to a Triple Helix of university–industry–government relations. Research Policy, 29(2), 109–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0048-7333(99)00055-4
Flick, U. (2009). An introduction to qualitative research (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
Gautam, A., & Pan, X. (2016). The changing model of big pharma: Impact of key trends. Drug Discovery Today, 21(3), 379–384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drudis.2015.10.002
Gibb, A. (2002). Creating conducive environments for learning and entrepreneurship: Living with, dealing with, creating and enjoying uncertainty and complexity. Industry and Higher Education, 16(3), 135–148. https://doi.org/10.5367/000000002101296234
Hippel von, E. (2005). Democratising innovation. MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/2333.001.0001
Horn, M. B., & Staker, H. (2015). Blended: Using disruptive innovation to enhance education [Maria Cristina Gularte Monteiro, Trans.; Adolfo Tanzi Neto & Lilian Bacich, Technical Review].
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). (2021). Science, technology and innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean: A statistical compendium of indicators. https://doi.org/10.18235/0012784
International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). (2020). FIP Position Statement. Emerging technologies and pharmacy practice: Pharmacy in the digital era. https://www.fip.org/file/4874
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall.
Kornis, G. E. M., Braga, M. H., & Paula, P. A. B. de. (2014). Recent transformations in the pharmaceutical industry: an examination of the global and Brazilian experience in the 21st century. Physis: Revista de Saúde Coletiva, 24(3), 885–908 https://www.scielo.br/j/physis/a/Zbvkh3TfKzqZbzp8PDS3Bkx
Kuratko, D. F. (2016). Entrepreneurship: Theory, process, and practice (10th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Liedtka, J., Salzman, R., & Azer, D. (2017). Design thinking for the greater good: Innovation in the social sector. Columbia Business School Publishing.
Maine L. L. (2012). An era of disruptive innovation and opportunity. American journal of pharmaceutical education, 76(7), 123. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe767123
Moreira, E. (2018). Internet das Coisas Médicas (IoMT): conexão que salva vidas. Transformação Digital, São Paulo. https://transformacaodigital.com/saude/internet-das-coisas-medicas-iomt-conexao-que-salva-vidas/
Neves, E. Z. (1994). Cuidado farmacêutico. In: 3º Encontro Estadual de Farmacêuticos [Curso]. Florianópolis, SC.
Nouri, A. I., Hassali, M. A., & Hashmi, F. K. (2020). Contribution of pharmacy education to pharmaceutical research and development: Critical insights from educators. Perspectives in Public Health, 140(1), 62–66. https://doi.org/10.1177/1757913919832927
Oesterreich, T. D., & Teuteberg, F. (2016). Understanding the implications of digitisation and automation in the context of Industry 4.0: A triangulation approach and elements of a research agenda for the construction industry. Computers in Industry, 83, 121–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compind.2016.09.006
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2021). Digital education outlook 2021: Pushing the frontiers with AI, blockchain and robots. OECD Publishing. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-digital-education-outlook-2021_589b283f-en.html
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2019). University-industry collaboration: New evidence and policy options. OECD Publishing. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/university-industry-collaboration_e9c1e648-en.html
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2018). The future of education and skills: Education 2030. OECD Publishing. https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2018/06/the-future-of-education-and-skills_5424dd26/54ac7020-en.pdf
Pötzsch, R. (1996). Pharmacy: A window on history. Editiones Roche.
Ries, E. (2011). The lean startup: How today's entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create Highly successful businesses (A. Tanzi Neto, Tech. Rev.; M. C. G. Monteiro, Trans.). Leya https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1540-5885.2012.00920_2.x
Sakurai, R., & Zuchi, J. D. (2018). Industrial revolutions up to industry 4.0.Technological Interface Magazine, 15(2), 480–491. https://doi.org/10.31510/infa.v15i2.386
Schestatsky, P. (2020) Medicine of tomorrow: How genetics, lifestyle, and technology can help improve your quality of life.
Schwab, K. (2019). The fourth industrial revolution. Edipro.
Trilling, B., & Fadel, C. (2009). 21st century skills: Learning for life in our times. Jossey-Bass/Wiley.
World Economic Forum. (2020). Schools of the future: Defining new models of education for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. World Economic Forum.
Yin, R. K. (2016). Qualitative research from start to finish (2nd ed.). Guilford Press. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcsr.12144