Use of online delivery including CaptureCAM-PRO in teaching Applied Pharmacotherapeutics courses in the Pharmacy program

Conventional online delivery and more recently CaptureCAM-PRO have been used to present selected content modules in the Applied Pharmacotherapeutics courses in the Pharmacy program at the University of South Australia. This paper reports on student feedback to the trial use of CaptureCAM-PRO and is set in the context of student feedback about online delivery in the Applied Pharmacotherapeutics courses overall. Several feedback themes can be identified. Students reported that they ‘prefer face-to-face teaching’; however flexibility of place and time of learning is also highly valued. The information gathered has allowed staff to review the online resources to potentially improve overall student satisfaction

The Art of Research: A Divergent/Convergent Framework and Opportunities for Science-Based Approaches

Applying science to the current art of producing engineering and research knowledge has proven difficult, in large part because of its seeming complexity. We posit that the microscopic processes underlying research are not so complex, but instead are iterative and interacting cycles of divergent (generation of ideas) and convergent (testing and selecting of ideas) thinking processes. This reductionist framework coherently organizes a wide range of previously disparate microscopic mechanisms which inhibit these processes. We give examples of such inhibitory mechanisms and discuss how deeper scientific understanding of these mechanisms might lead to dis-inhibitory interventions for individuals, networks and institutional levels

Enhancing learning in clinical placements: reflective practice, self-assessment, rubrics and scaffolding

Professional preparatory health programmes generally involve clinical placements with a focus on integration of theory into real life practice. Reflective writing is often included in the assessment requirements for clinical placement courses. However enabling students to engage in deeper levels of reflective writing in action, on action and for action requires careful scaffolding and assessment task design within university clinical placement handbooks. The purpose of this case study was to explore iterative refinement of assessment exercises within clinical placement handbook activities. Specifically, the study examined students' responses to counselling experiences in authentic pharmacy practice, with comparative analysis undertaken for the various versions of the assessment task. Results showed that provision of iteratively developed guidelines, provided to three different groups of students, to support students in the assessment task, increased the marks achieved for individual components of the assessment. The results provide insight into how the design of these types of assessment exercises can be improved

Exploring student diversity: Local and international first year pharmacy students

The Australian higher education sector has undergone significant changes in the last two decades with a wider and more diverse student population. Although the number of international students commencing in Australian universities is currently in decline, international students contribute to student diversity. The authors of this paper sought to explore aspects of this diversity through use of a questionnaire composed of questions from the literature around learning/instructional design. Questions eliciting responses from international students could be categorised into three groups: those that indicated differences between international and local students at the point of entry and after one year of study; those where responses were initially different, but after one year were similar and; those that were similar at the point of entry for both international and local students. Focus groups of both international and local students provided additional insight into the students' perceptions of their learning environment. This study is of a relatively small cohort of students, however - some of the unexpected findings such as reports by international students of hostile interactions with other students deserve further interrogation. The critical difference for international students after one year of study is around communication confidence

A nationwide study on generic medicines substitution practices of Australian community pharmacists and patient acceptance

Objectives This study evaluated Australian community pharmacists' rate of generic medicine substitution, patient acceptance of generic substitution and cost-savings achieved for patients from substitution.Method A national stratified sample of 500 Australian pharmacies was randomly selected from different geographical areas. The data of the first 25 original PBS prescription items dispensed on one working day eligible for generic substitution were collected from each pharmacy.Results Responses were received from 82 pharmacies with a response rate of 16.4%. The pharmacists recommended generics for 96.4% (1461/1515) of the prescription items which were eligible for substitution. The generic substitution recommendation rate in urban (98.7%) and rural areas (98.0%) was significantly higher than remote areas (91.6%). Conversely, patients' acceptance in remote areas (84.5%) was significantly higher than rural (78.6%) and urban areas (73.2%). Patients with chronic diseases demonstrated significantly lower acceptability (72.4%) than patients with acute conditions (81.6%). Through acceptance of substitution, the patients' medicines expenditure reduced by around 21%.Conclusion Australian community pharmacists demonstrated a high rate of recommending generic substitution. However, to optimize the generic medicines utilization, patients' acceptance requires further improvement.Generic medicines Generic substitution Community pharmacists Patients Cost-saving