International Programs

The pharmacy practices in Ecuador and the United States are different on three different levels: culturally, educationally and governmentally. Research was conducted to compare and contrast the differences of community pharmacy practices between the United States and Ecuador. Eight different pharmacists in Quito were interviewed with a series of questions. For a period of nine weeks, observations were collected during an internship at Fybeca pharmacy in Quito, Ecuador. The results are presented in a table with the number of responses, the responses of pharmacists and any additional comments. Responses varied at different pharmacies, which created inconsistent results. Differences in pharmacy practices include how pharmacists were perceived culturally in both Ecuador and the United States, educational requirements, and the use of generic drugs. Although there are similarities between practices, there are significant differences between community pharmacy practices between the United States and Ecuador.