Evaluation of a Sepsis Teaching Rounds Simulation for Pharmacy Students

Background and purpose The goal of this prospective, observational cohort study was to determine if simulated interdisciplinary teaching rounds improved student perceptions of confidence and attitudes towards working as part of a team. The secondary objective of this study was to investigate changes in student knowledge of the management of sepsis. Educational activity and setting Students participated in a traditional sepsis lecture followed by a simulated interdisciplinary rounding experience. Confidence and collaborative attitudes were assessed using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Changes in knowledge were measured using multiple choice questions. Students completed these tools at three points in time: pre-lecture, post-lecture, and post-simulation. Findings Student confidence and attitudes related to interdisciplinary rounds improved following the simulation (2 of 4 items, p = 0.003; 2 of 5 items, p \u3c 0.05). Also, most students agreed or strongly-agreed that the simulation reinforced knowledge gained from lecture (94.7%), that lecture followed by a simulation was the most effective way to learn about sepsis (94.7%), and that the simulation helped reinforce critical-thinking skills (94.7%). Knowledge improved between the didactic lecture and the simulation, but these differences were not found to be statistically significant. Summary A simulated interdisciplinary rounding experience may increase student confidence during teaching rounds and improve attitudes towards working alongside other healthcare professionals. Incorporating rounding simulations into pharmacy curricula may be beneficial towards student success on rounds

Modeling with Medicinal Chemistry: Practical Innovative Technology-based Activity to Enhance Student’s Learning Through Inter-Departmental Collaboration: PART I

Background: Concepts of formulary management and its applications in clinical practice is a challenge faced by many first professional year pharmacy students. This challenge may be attributed to a lack of foundational knowledge and practical skills at this level. Preparing students for lifelong learning mandates early exposure to practical application of concepts. This warrants the need for students to integrate knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes in clinical practice. As a result, a state-of-the-art one stop shopping structure of the day (SOD) activity was created for P1 pharmacy students to enable the authors to assess their skill sets. Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the impact of this technique on students’ ability to integrate science into practice. Methods: An institutionally structured curriculum permits concurrent administration of standalone but related courses through inter-departmental collaboration. Connecting the dots in drug information, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics was identified as a creative means to accomplish this goal. A comprehensive literature search to identify existing models was conducted in PubMed, International Pharmaceutical Abstract (IPA), Embase, Cumulative Index in Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and alternate resources from inception to 2013 without success. A Pre-class interactive technology-based “Structure of the Day” activity was created utilizing the Moodle course platform, Accelrys®, and SoftChalk® software. Students identified functional groups on new molecular entities, determined the relationships to pharmacological properties, pharmacokinetic profiles, and their applications to drug formulary management. Application activities via in-class discussions and debate were implemented to assess knowledge, attitude and ability to integrate the basic sciences into a skill-building activity. Results:The expected outcome was captured through the sequential activities facilitated by an audience response system. The overall results of the study were promising and positive. The assessment on knowledge, ability, skills and attitude ranged from 72% to 95%. Conclusion: The investigators plan to implement this technique in the curriculum

Vaccine Preventable Diseases

Vaccine preventable diseases are illnesses that can be defended against with vaccines. Vaccines are drugs that make a person immune to an illness using the body’s natural defense mechanismshttps://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/public_health_posters/1007/thumbnail.jp

Assessing the Effects of a Paired TBL Session and Patient Simulation on Pharmacy Student HIV Treatment Knowledge

Description of the Problem: Pharmacists can play a crucial role in monitoring, counseling, and providing adherence checks across practice pharmacy settings; but they may not gain experience in this area until after graduating from pharmacy school. Statement of Innovation: Students participated in an intentionally aligned team-based learning session followed by completion of an HIV patient treatment worksheet and an HIV patient care simulation. This sequence was assessed using the HIV Treatment Knowledge Scale. Description of the Innovation: Second-year pharmacy students (N=48, 98% response rate) participated in a baseline knowledge assessment before a four-hour HIV team-based learning (TBL) session, which included the use of an online HIV Patient Management Simulator. Students were administered the scale again post-session. Three days before the simulation, students had access to an HIV patient treatment worksheet that was required to be completed before the simulation. Ten days after the initial assessment, students participated in an HIV patient simulation where they proposed a new antiretroviral plan while also addressing monitoring, barriers, and maximizing adherence for the patient. Post-simulation, students were again administered the scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon and paired t-tests, as appropriate. Critical Analysis: A total of 48 second-year pharmacy students participated. HIV knowledge increased significantly post-TBL (p \u3c 0.001). Post-simulation, scores improved, but not significantly (p = 0.291). Knowledge on 15 of the 21 items on the HIV Treatment Knowledge Scale significantly improved from pre-TBL to post-simulation (p ≤ 0.025). Next Steps: Future investigation should focus on the impact that HIV simulation training has on skills, abilities, confidence, and empathy