Background: In the field of team-based care, pharmacists are vital for optimizing medication therapy. However, many medical professionals lack the opportunity to learn how to propose prescription changes with precision.
Objective: This study aimed to address this knowledge gap by developing and assessing a new educational program for pharmacy students focused on prescription support and interprofessional collaboration.
Methods: We recruited 191 fifth-year pharmaceutical students during the 2022-2024 academic years. The program featured a 7-day intensive curriculum that included learning how to assist with prescriptions, analyzing clinical data, and engaging in role-playing exercises. A web-based questionnaire and a paper test were used to evaluate students' awareness and knowledge both before and after the program. Statistical analyses were performed to verify the significance of changes; we utilized the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for the ordinal data derived from the specific behavioral objectives and 2-tailed paired t tests for the interval data from the knowledge tests. The magnitude of change was quantified using r for Wilcoxon tests and Cohen dz for 2-tailed t tests, with 95% CI calculated to ensure the stability and reliability of the observed results.
Results: Analysis of the primary outcome specific behavioral objectives revealed statistically significant effects across all items (Wilcoxon signed-rank test; P<.001). Effect sizes (r=0.505-0.835) ranged from moderate to large, with particularly large effects observed in identifying contents issue (r=0.835, 95% CI 0.126-0.330; P<.001). Knowledge test scores showed significant improvement in the following 3 subjects: pharmacology (r=-0.504, 95% CI -0.215 to 0.127; P<.001), organic chemistry (r=0.254, 95% CI -0.148 to -0.193; P=.004), and communication (r=0.221, 95% CI -0.151 to -0.190; P=.01). No significant changes were observed in pathology or pharmacokinetics.
Conclusions: This program provides strong evidence that practical, hands-on learning with hospital pharmacists helps improve pharmacy students' professional skills and optimize pharmaceutical therapies in interprofessional care. By teaching pharmacists to effectively propose prescription changes, the program equips them to become integral members of interprofessional care, ultimately leading to optimized pharmaceutical care for patients.
Keywords: Interprofessional care; academic detailing; pharmaceutical clinical practice; prescription support; professional education.
© Fuka Aizawa, Kenta Yagi, Tsukasa Higashionna, Hirofumi Hamano, Shimon Takahashi, Yoshito Zamami, Kazuaki Shinomiya, Takahiro Niimura, Mitsuhiro Goda, Kei Kawada, Keisuke Ishizawa. Originally published in JMIR Medical Education (https://mededu.jmir.org).