Table 5.

Professional associations for pharmacists in Estonia [14,15,19,20].

Source	Reply	Comment
Registration of pharmacists	Yes	Pharmacists and assistant pharmacists providing pharmacy services in Estonia must be recorded in the national register of pharmacists and assistant pharmacists, kept by the Health Board. A license holder (community or hospital pharmacy) is responsible for informing the Health Board of the employment or dismissal a pharmacist or assistant pharmacist.
Creation of community pharmacies and control of territorial distribution	Yes	As from 1 April 2020, a community pharmacy can be run only by a private legal person (pharmacist) holding, > 50 per cent of the shares of the private legal entity. A pharmacy license holder can manage up to four general pharmacies operating in a community with a population of >4000. Shareholders or members of a private legal entity holding a general pharmacy authorization must not include persons holding a wholesale distribution or manufacturing authorization, or a health service authorization. The State Agency of Medicines supervises the holders of a pharmacy license.
Ethical considerations and role of pharmacists	Yes	In 2012, a council composed of representatives of professional pharmacy organizations, of the State Agency of Medicines, and of the University of Tartu proposed quality guidelines for community pharmacy services; these were updated in 2016. In November 2016, the occupational qualification standards for pharmacists and assistant pharmacists were approved. As an extension, an updated version of the Code of Professional Ethics for Pharmacists was included with the standards. Overall the guidelines aim to formulate the principles of modern pharmacy services, i.e., the aspects of quality pharmacy services, and to define clear criteria for evaluating the quality of pharmacy services. The guidelines give all pharmacists the opportunity to evaluate the working of their pharmacy and improve the efficiency of their services.
Quality assurance and validation of HEI courses for pharmacists	Yes	The curriculum at the University of Tartu is subjected to international accreditation every seven years.
Professional continuing education courses for pharmacists	Yes	Starting in January 2015, it is compulsory for practicing pharmacists to take continuous professional development (CPD) courses at a rhythm of at least 40 academic hours every two years. Professional training can be participation in CPD courses, seminars, conferences, etc.