Web-based multimedia vignettes in advanced community pharmacy practice experiences

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy education
• Digital health education
• Experiential learning

Background:

• Traditional pharmacy training may not adequately cover complex drug administration techniques.
• Standardizing patient counseling on devices like inhalers and eye/ear drops is crucial for effective treatment.
• Advanced Community Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) offer a critical setting for skill development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of web-based multimedia vignettes in improving pharmacy students' skills.
• To augment student training in complex drug administration techniques within APPEs.
• To standardize patient counseling on inhalers and ear/eye drops.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was conducted with pharmacy students during their APPE.
• The study group accessed web-based multimedia vignettes on drug administration techniques.
• A control group received standard training without the vignettes.

Main Results:

• Students in the intervention group showed significant improvement in counseling knowledge compared to the control group (p < 0.001).
• The control group did not demonstrate significant knowledge improvement over the APPE duration.
• Multimedia vignettes standardized counseling on inhalers and ear/eye drops.

Conclusions:

• Web-based multimedia vignettes are effective tools for enhancing pharmacy student learning outcomes.
• Digital instructional materials can significantly improve experiential training in advanced pharmacy practice.
• This approach standardizes and improves the quality of patient education on complex drug administration.