Experience with the script concordance test to develop clinical reasoning skills in pharmacy students

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Clinical Reasoning Assessment
• Pharmacotherapy Training

Background:

• The Script Concordance Test (SCT) is a validated tool for assessing clinical reasoning in medical education.
• Pharmacy education, guided by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), emphasizes the development of clinical reasoning skills.
• Limited documentation exists on the application of SCT for pharmacy learners.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate a Script Concordance Test (SCT) activity for a diabetes and metabolic syndrome pharmacotherapy course.
• To assess the feasibility and reception of the SCT as a formative educational tool in pharmacy.
• To explore the SCT's utility in evaluating clinical decision-making among pharmacy students.

Main Methods:

• Developed 25 cases for an SCT activity within a pharmacotherapy course.
• Evaluated cases by an expert panel of 20 practicing pharmacists.
• Administered 10 cases as a formative in-class activity, with subsequent evaluation by students, design team, teaching team, and expert panel.

Main Results:

• The SCT activity received positive feedback from students, the design team, the teaching team, and expert panelists.
• Case development for SCT requires a distinct approach, benefiting from diverse expert perspectives.
• Formative scoring provided insights into areas where students encountered difficulties in clinical reasoning.

Conclusions:

• The SCT is a valuable tool for illustrating clinical reasoning and decision-making among pharmacy content experts.
• The SCT can facilitate clinical discussions between student learners and content experts.
• Implementing the SCT in pharmacy curricula can help meet ACPE standards for clinical reasoning development.