The effect of using simulation for training pharmacy students on correct device technique.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy education
• Clinical skills training
• Patient counseling simulation

Background:

• Inhaler device technique is crucial for effective asthma management.
• Pharmacy students require practical training to ensure correct patient education on device use.
• Current training methods may not fully equip students with the necessary skills for diverse patient interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of simulation-based training on pharmacy students' ability to demonstrate correct inhaler device technique.
• To compare the effectiveness of standard education versus simulation-enhanced education in improving skills with Diskus, Turbuhaler, and pMDI.

Main Methods:

• A single-blinded, repeated measures study involving final-year pharmacy students.
• Students were assessed on Diskus, Turbuhaler, and pMDI technique at baseline and 1 week post-intervention.
• Intervention groups received either standard education or standard education plus a simulated patient counseling scenario.

Main Results:

• No students demonstrated correct technique for any device at baseline.
• Following intervention, significantly higher proportions of students in the simulation group (Intervention B) showed correct technique for all devices compared to the standard education group (Intervention A).
• Success rates for Intervention B were 60.0% (Diskus), 70.9% (Turbuhaler), and 69.1% (pMDI), versus 27.8%, 40.7%, and 42.6% for Intervention A (p<0.005).

Conclusions:

• Simulated patient interactions enhance pharmacy students' practical skills in demonstrating correct inhaler device technique.
• This training approach leads to significant improvements in student competency across multiple inhaler devices.
• Simulation-based learning is a valuable tool for improving the quality of patient education in pharmacy practice.