Computer skills enhance a hospital pharmacy residency training program.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Health Informatics
• Medical Education

Background:

• Hospital pharmacy residents often lack essential computer skills for advanced practice.
• Academic training may not adequately cover the computer resources needed for residency projects.
• Effective use of technology is crucial for modern pharmacy research and data analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce hospital pharmacy residents to computer systems relevant to pharmacy practice.
• To provide residents with access to resources for completing residency projects.
• To enhance the quality and publication potential of residency projects through improved computer literacy.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a training program utilizing existing computer facilities.
• Delivery of short courses and individual tutorials to impart various computer skills.
• Focus on skills for managing and analyzing large datasets.

Main Results:

• Residents acquired necessary computer skills not covered in academic training.
• A significant increase in the number of residency projects suitable for publication was observed.
• Improved quality of residency projects and increased faculty preceptor involvement.

Conclusions:

• The computer training program effectively equipped residents with vital skills.
• Enhanced computer literacy led to higher quality research and increased publication output.
• The program fostered greater engagement from faculty preceptors in residency projects.