Evaluating the effectiveness of a peer-led education intervention to improve the patient safety attitudes of junior pharmacy students: a cross-sectional study using a latent growth curve modelling approach

Abstract

ObjectiveDespite the recognition that educating healthcare students in patient safety is essential, changing already full curricula can be challenging. Furthermore, institutions may lack the capacity and capability to deliver patient safety education, particularly from the start of professional practice studies. Using senior students as peer educators to deliver practice-based education can potentially overcome some of the contextual barriers in training junior students. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a peer-led patient safety education programme for junior pharmacy students.DesignA repeat cross-sectional design utilising a previously validated patient safety attitudinal survey was used to evaluate attitudes prior to, immediately after and 1 month after the delivery of a patient safety education programme. Latent growth curve (LGC) modelling was used to evaluate the change in attitudes of first-year students using second-year students as a comparator group.SettingUndergraduate university students in Sydney, Australia.Participants175 first-year and 140 second-year students enrolled in the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme at the University of Sydney.InterventionAn introductory patient safety programme was implemented into the first-year Bachelor of Pharmacy curriculum at the University of Sydney. The programme covered introductory patient safety topics including teamwork, communication skills, systems thinking and open disclosure. The programme consisted of 2 lectures, delivered by a senior academic, and a workshop delivered by trained final-year pharmacy students.ResultsA full LGC model was constructed including the intervention as a non-time-dependent predictor of change (χ2 (51)=164.070, root mean square error of approximation=0.084, comparative fit index=0.913, standardised root mean square=0.056). First-year students’ attitudes significantly improved as a result of the intervention, particularly in relation to internalising errors (p=0.010), questioning behaviours (p<0.001) and open disclosure (p=0.008).ConclusionsPeer-led education is an effective method that can be adopted to improve junior pharmacy students’ attitudes towards patient safety.

A Scoping Review of Peer-led Education in Patient Safety Training

“…Following the removal of duplicates and the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, six papers from four studies met the criteria for inclusion in the review ( Figure 1; Table 2). 3,[21][22][23][24][25] Of the four studies reviewed, three studies used a prepost intervention evaluation study design, [21][22][23] with only one of these studies containing a comparator group. 21 One study evaluated post-intervention measures only.…”

“…3,[21][22][23][24][25] Of the four studies reviewed, three studies used a prepost intervention evaluation study design, [21][22][23] with only one of these studies containing a comparator group. 21 One study evaluated post-intervention measures only. 24 Three of the studies were targeted toward the medical profession, [22][23][24] with one study targeted toward the pharmacy profession.…”

“…24 Three of the studies were targeted toward the medical profession, [22][23][24] with one study targeted toward the pharmacy profession. 21 Two studies were conducted among students at the start of their professional degree programs. 21,23 The other two studies were conducted among medical professionals, with one study conducted with junior practitioners within their first two years of clinical practice in hospital, 22 and the other with medical educators who were either hospital-or universitybased.…”

“…21 Two studies were conducted among students at the start of their professional degree programs. 21,23 The other two studies were conducted among medical professionals, with one study conducted with junior practitioners within their first two years of clinical practice in hospital, 22 and the other with medical educators who were either hospital-or universitybased. 24 The amount and type of patient safety education varied among the studies.…”

“…The two interventions that were conducted using university students were of short duration, ranging between two and four hours of teaching time. 21 The two studies that were in medical professionals were longer in duration, ranging from a three-day intensive program 24 to a six-month program consisting of five 60-minute monthly training sessions.…”