A Web-based Tool for Teaching Pharmacy Practice Competency

Abstract

Objective. To implement and assess the effectiveness of the Strathclyde Computerized Randomized Interactive Prescription Tutor (SCRIPT) in teaching a competency-based undergraduate pharmacy course. Design. Data on students' access to SCRIPT, collected by quantitative electronic data capture, were analyzed to determine student usage patterns and correlations between usage and grades in class assessments. Data on students' perceptions were collected by electronic questionnaire and semistructured interviews. Teaching staff members also were interviewed. Assessment. Two hundred forty-three students accessed SCRIPT a median of 23 times each. Students accessed SCRIPT predominantly at times outside normal teaching hours and tended to access the tool more often in the 48 hours preceding class assessments. Feedback from students indicated overall satisfaction with the tool to compliment the timetabled teaching sessions but highlighted that more specific feedback on the examples was required. All staff comments were positive. Conclusions. Students and teaching staff members valued SCRIPT as a tool to compliment teaching of the competency-based pharmacy practice classes in the MPharm degree. Future developments of SCRIPT will include expanded feedback for students, the capability to link the release of each SCRIPT exercise with the date the content is taught in class, and additional tools to facilitate ''just in time'' teaching.

Using Simulation to Improve First-Year Pharmacy Students’ Ability to Identify Medication Errors Involving the Top 100 Prescription Medications

“…The logistical and financial burden of creating additional checking stations may be minimized with the use of product pictures or online programs. 2,14 Online programs could additionally be used to supplement scheduled curricular activities by providing extra practice exercises for students to complete on their own time.…”

“…1 Reviewing prescription accuracy is a fundamental pharmacist responsibility to achieve safe medication use that is recognized within the United States and internationally. 2,3 However, 2% of prescriptions result in medication errors, 4,5 and 28% of prescription errors can result in harm to the patient. 6 The most common error reported is medication selection 7 within the pharmacy.…”

“…12,13 Furthermore, students' awareness of their role in preventing medication errors increased as a result of taking the medication safety laboratory sessions. 13 Computer-based modules 2,3,14 and "mock pharmacy" 12 techniques have also been identified as modes to further enhance active learning.…”

Integration of an Online Simulated Prescription Analysis into Undergraduate Pharmacy Teaching Using Supplemental and Replacement Models

“…6,[15][16][17][18] This pattern of use was likewise observed when SCRIPT was not aligned to class teaching. 13 The replacement cohort accessed SCRIPT less often per 100 students than the supplemental cohort in terms of remote attempts and total access. However, comparison of total access between the cohorts may not be a true reflection of access because students did not have a dedicated computer during the teaching sessions.…”

“…13 The e-learning program was aligned to the class following the supplemental model as a result of increased student numbers and desire among staff and students for better integration of SCRIPT into the MPharm degree. After review, the replacement model was adopted to better integrate SCRIPT.…”