Evaluation of first year student pharmacists' perceptions of the pharmaceutical industry

There are a limited number of pedagogical studies evaluating student pharmacists' perceptions of the pharmaceutical industry. The objective of this two year prospective study was to evaluate changes in student pharmacists' perceptions of the pharmaceutical industry during the first year of enrollment in the doctor of pharmacy curriculum.

An online survey was developed and offered to all first-year student pharmacists during the 2014 and 2015 Fall semesters prior to didactic instruction on the pharmaceutical industry and then again at the end of the respective academic years. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data.

A majority of students had a positive impression of the pharmaceutical industry in both the fall (75%) and spring semesters (78%). Over the course of the year, significantly greater numbers of student pharmacists reported favorable impressions of the pharmaceutical industry with respect to research innovation, drug safety, and the provision of drug information. On the other hand, findings suggest that many students remain skeptical regarding the benefits of prescription medications relative to cost and there were significant increases in the number of students who perceived pharmaceutical industry-based marketing practices to have a negative impact on patients and society.

Didactic education may influence student pharmacists' perceptions of the pharmaceutical industry. Further research is warranted to evaluate the role of pharmacy curricula and extra-curricular activities in influencing changes in student pharmacists' perceptions and the potential implications of these changes to pharmacy practice.