Impact of the “DrugSpeak” programme on drug name pronunciation skills and perceptions in a pharmacy student cohort

Abstract

Introduction: Difficulties in pronouncing many drug names can lead to medication errors in pharmacy practice. A pilot study called DrugSpeak was devised to provide educational scaffolding to enable students to pronounce drug names correctly. Method: Student participants (n = 26) accessed online videos on phonetics and audio files of drug names, and then undertook a workshop that provided them with basic phonetics training to assist them in pronouncing drug names correctly. Surveys and audio recordings of student pronunciations of drug names were conducted before and after intervention with DrugSpeak. Results: Significant increases (p<0.01) in student drug pronunciation and accuracy were observed following DrugSpeak. Students reported reductions in anxiety and enhancements in their confidence levels relevant to drug pronunciation. Conclusion: The DrugSpeak education package yielded promising outcomes in the improvement of student drug pronunciation skills and in providing students with the confidence to tackle drug names unfamiliar to them.