Improving prescribing practices: A pharmacist-led educational intervention for nurse practitioner students.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Medical Education
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) students require robust prescribing skills for safe patient care.
• Effective collaboration between pharmacists and advanced practice providers is crucial for optimizing medication therapy.
• Educational interventions can enhance prescribing competencies and interprofessional collaboration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a pharmacist-led educational intervention on FNP students' prescribing skills.
• To assess changes in FNP students' perceived preparedness to prescribe independently.
• To examine FNP students' perceptions of pharmacists as collaborative partners.

Main Methods:

• A prospective pre-post assessment design was employed over a 14-week educational intervention.
• Students engaged in weekly online modules with patient cases and prescription writing exercises.
• A pharmacist facilitator provided formative feedback, and pre/post assessments measured performance and perceptions.

Main Results:

• Significant improvement was observed in prescription error identification and element demonstration (+17%, p < .001).
• Mean performance on assessments remained below the 70% passing threshold, indicating a need for further development.
• Students reported significant positive changes in perceived preparedness and willingness to collaborate with pharmacists.

Conclusions:

• Pharmacist-led prescribing education enhances understanding of safe medication use and reduces errors.
• While competency was not fully attained, the intervention improved prescribing knowledge and skills.
• Exposure to pharmacist expertise positively influences students' views on interprofessional collaboration.