Student Perceptions of and Confidence in Self-Care Course Concepts Using Team-based Learning

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Health Professions Education
• Self-Care Research

Background:

• Pharmacists require strong self-care knowledge and skills for professional practice.
• Team-based learning (TBL) is an active learning strategy with potential for health professions education.
• Assessing student perceptions and confidence in self-care is crucial for curriculum development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate changes in student perceptions and confidence in self-care concepts after a TBL course.
• To assess the effectiveness of a semester-long TBL self-care course at two universities.
• To explore the impact of TBL on self-care perceptions using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and confidence using Social Cognitive Theory.

Main Methods:

• A semester-long, team-based learning (TBL) self-care course was implemented at two universities.
• Pre- and post-course instruments assessed student perceptions (TPB) and confidence (Social Cognitive Theory) in self-care.
• Statistical analyses included Wilcoxon signed rank tests for pre/post changes and Mann Whitney U tests for university differences.

Main Results:

• Student confidence in self-care concepts significantly improved across all assessed areas for both universities.
• Student self-care perceptions, measured by TPB domains, significantly decreased on most items at one university (9/13) and one item at the other.
• High response rates (100% and 92%) were achieved for the 111 participating students.

Conclusions:

• Team-based learning (TBL) self-care courses are effective in enhancing student confidence regarding self-care.
• Developing self-care skills early in professional education is beneficial for future practice, including self-directed learning and problem-solving.
• While confidence improved, further investigation into the impact of TBL on self-care perceptions is warranted.