Computer-Based Simulators in Pharmacy Practice Education: A Systematic Narrative Review

Abstract

Computer-based simulations may represent an innovative, flexible, and cost-efficient training approach that has been underutilised in pharmacy practice education. This may need to change, with increasing pressure on clinical placement availability, COVID-19 restrictions, and economic pressures to improve teaching efficiency. This systematic narrative review summarises various computer-based simulations described in the pharmacy practice education literature, identifies the currently available products, and highlights key characteristics. Five major databases were searched (Medline, CINAHL, ERIC, Education Source and Embase). Authors also manually reviewed the publication section of major pharmacy simulator websites and performed a citation analysis. We identified 49 studies describing 29 unique simulators, which met the inclusion criteria. Only eight of these simulators were found to be currently available. The characteristics of these eight simulators were examined through the lens of eight main criteria (feedback type, grading, user play mode, cost, operational requirement, community/hospital setting, scenario sharing option, and interaction elements). Although a number of systems have been developed and trialled, relatively few are available on the market, and each comes with benefits and drawbacks. Educators are encouraged to consider their own institutional, professional and curriculum needs, and determine which product best aligns with their teaching goals.

A systematic review on the use of virtual patient and computer-based simulation for experiential pharmacy education

“…This finding is in line with previous reviews that have also supported the efficacy of simulation tools in improving students' knowledge. 10 , 33 , 34 Notably, in our study, VPs emerged as particularly influential in strengthening students' skills. This observation is consistent with the findings reported by Kononowicz and colleagues and Richardson and team, who identified VPs as effective in improving various skills such as communication, counseling, clinical reasoning, procedural skills, and a combination of procedural and team skills.…”

Potential Barriers to the Implementation of Computer-Based Simulation in Pharmacy Education: A Systematic Review

“…This methodology seemed the most suitable to extract and summarize potentially identified barriers. We adhered to the guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses as suggested by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) to conduct this narrative systematic review [ 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 ] ( File S1 ).…”

“…The search terms used in this study were ‘pharmacy education’; ‘teaching method’; ‘computer-based simulation’; ‘online simulation’; ‘virtual simulation’; and ‘virtual patient’ (the search strategy is shown in Supplementary Table S1 ). It should be noted that this search strategy was also used in our previously published paper which identified the range and characteristics of CBS available in pharmacy education [ 53 ].…”

“…Consequently, this review aimed to identify and comprehend potential barriers that might affect the implementation of CBS in pharmacy practice education and guide future research in this area. In addition, it supplements our recently conducted review where we sought to examine different features of available simulators in pharmacy practice education [ 53 ].…”