Integration of Medication Safety Training and Development of a Culture of Safety in Pharmacy Education

Medication safety events with the potential for patient harm do occur in health care settings. Pharmacists are regularly tasked with utilizing their medication knowledge to optimize the medication use process and reduce the likelihood of error. To prepare for these responsibilities in professional practice, it is important to introduce patient safety principles during educational experiences. The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) have set forth accreditation standards focused on the management of medication use processes to ensure these competencies during pharmacy didactic learning and postgraduate training. The experience described here provides perspective on educational and experiential opportunities across the continuum of pharmacy education, with a focus on a relationship between a college of pharmacy and healthcare system. Various activities, including discussions, medication event reviews, audits, and continuous quality improvement efforts, have provided the experiences to achieve standards for these pharmacy learners. These activities support a culture of safety from early training.

Game-Based Learning in Pharmacy Education

Game-based learning (GBL) involves adding game elements to non-game activities to encourage engagement. Pharmacy curricula are required to incorporate active learning to meet accreditation standards. The literature supports that well-designed GBL holds the attention of students and improves knowledge in some instances. Furthermore, these adaptable experiences can be leveraged for a variety of content areas in pharmacy education. Some activities utilized by educators require large amounts of technological expertise, while others involve minimal use of technology. The incorporation of technology can create highly immersive experiences for learners; however, there are barriers (e.g., financial and technology prowess) to implementation compared to simpler designs. One area of GBL that is not well defined in the literature is how to adequately assess student learning outcomes. Most current studies describe subjective attitudes and confidence or assess content knowledge through objective pre- and post-tests. In the future, more defined and connected methods for assessment—such as active demonstrations within the game—will be needed to better incorporate GBL into pharmacy curricula. Based on the collective evidence in the literature, some GBL activities may serve as useful tools to improve pharmacy student engagement and learning.

Using communities of practice as a lens for exploring experiential pharmacy learning in general practice: Are communities of practice the way forward in changing the training culture in pharmacy?

Background Currently, there is little experiential learning in general practice (GP) during UK undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy education and training. Aim To apply educational theories to explore pharmacy stakeholders’ perceptions of placements in general practice and contribute to the development of a model of experiential learning for pharmacy. Methods Qualitative, semi-structured interviews, conducted as part of two studies exploring experiential learning in general practice, with learners and their GP based supervisors. Interviews explored experiences of learning and practice, and what aided or hindered this. An abductive approach to analysis combined inductive coding with deductive, theory-driven interpretation using Lave and Wenger’s concept of “Communities of Practice”. Results Forty-four interviews were conducted, with learners and placement supervisors. Participants valued placements for providing authentic patient-facing learning experiences in the workplace, facilitated through legitimate peripheral participation by supervisors and supported by the use of pre- and de-briefing. Learners benefitted from support from their supervisor(s) and other staff during their day-to-day learning (informal learning), whilst also having protected time with their supervisors to discuss learning needs or go through workplace-based assessments (formal learning). Lack of clarity regarding which and how competencies should be assessed / demonstrated in general practice challenged monitoring progress from peripheral to full participation. Findings suggest that GP placements provide opportunities for learning about the patient journey between care settings; to work effectively with multidisciplinary teams; and consolidation and application of consultation / communication skills learning. Conclusions The learning culture of GP supports learners’ development, providing time and opportunities for meaningful and authentic workplace learning, with healthcare professionals acting as supervisors and mentors. These findings can usefully inform implementation of meaningful learning opportunities in primary and secondary care for those involved in pharmacy education and training.

Challenges in Pharmacy Education With Limited Resources During COVID-19

The rapidly emerging COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the need for rapid and extensive changes in the education programs of universities. This chapter reviews the changes in teaching and learning made by pharmaceutical faculties in six universities located in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): Mahasarakham University (Thailand), Taylor's University (Malaysia), University of the Philippines-Manilla (Philippines), Hai Phong University of Medicine and Pharmacy (Vietnam), University of Health Sciences (Lao PDR), and Sanata Dharma University (Indonesia). The authors discuss adjustments that were made based on educational contexts, planning and infrastructure, educational processes, and products and outcomes. Each university provides a specific story concerning lessons learned in responding to the pandemic. The chapter concludes with changes that will be employed in future emergency situations, as well as those that will continue to be incorporated with the resumption of normal operations.

Adapting Interprofessional Acute Care Simulations to a Virtual Platform

This chapter addresses the innovative solutions implemented by faculty members at Regis University to pivot simulation experiences to a virtual platform during a global pandemic. Healthcare faculty ensured nursing and pharmacy students actively engaged in content and with one another without sacrificing the necessary interprofessional knowledge. The authors adapted a previously in-person acute care simulation to a virtual platform by utilizing technology and specific, intentional pre-simulation, during simulation, and post-stimulation knowledge checks. By following the standards for interprofessional, nursing, and pharmacy education, the authors were able to execute this simulation and implement meaningful feedback for continued advancement for future students. The continued goal of the simulation will be to provide students with high-stress, low-occurrence acute care patient experiences while working closely with other members of the healthcare team to enable students to experience required, necessary curriculum before graduation and working on the frontlines of healthcare.

Pharmacy education shift during times of pandemic and collapse: A perspective from a school of pharmacy in Lebanon

Introduction: The health and economic crisis in Lebanon during the COVID-19 pandemic has had detrimental effects on many sectors including higher education. This report presents the major changes in teaching/learning undertaken by three departments of the bachelor programme in a school of pharmacy in Lebanon to cope with uncertain times. Description: The educational process was modified from autumn 2019/20 to spring 2020/21, with economical instabilities and the emergence of COVID-19, where regular teaching and summative assessments were completely and forcefully switched to remote and online. Evaluation: Although a grade trend showed some changes in evaluation with the crisis, grades returned nearly to normal upon adopting the completely online system. Technical support and training for the faculty were required to help cross transitioning periods and maintain the quality of the programme. Conclusion: The crisis and the pandemic influenced pharmacy education, but gave students and faculty the chance to learn and utilise modern information and communication technology (ICT) educational tools.

The Sri Lankan Perspective of Implementing Clinical Pharmacy Services

Clinical Pharmacists provide pharmaceutical care to patients to ensure quality use of medicines and to improve patients’ quality of life. Although clinical pharmacy services have shown medication related benefits to patients, this service has still not been formerly established in Sri Lanka. This report is on the status of developing clinical pharmacy services in Sri Lanka as perceived by an academic who has been involved in teaching, research, and in the development of clinical pharmacy services in Sri Lanka. Keywords: Clinical pharmacy, Pharmacy education, Pharmaceutical care, Sri Lanka