Knowledge and comfort change with an active learning activity on medication adherence calculations

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Pharmacoeconomics
• Health Outcomes Research

Background:

• Medication adherence is a critical pharmacy quality measure.
• Traditional teaching methods like lectures and pill-taking exercises have limitations.
• There is a need for practical activities to teach various aspects of medication adherence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an active learning session on medication adherence metrics for second-year student pharmacists.
• To assess the impact of the activity on student knowledge, comfort, and confidence in calculating adherence metrics.
• To compare manual calculation methods with simulated adherence dashboard outputs.

Main Methods:

• A 50-minute didactic session on adherence metrics was followed by a 50-minute active learning session.
• Students manually calculated proportion of days covered (PDC) and medication possession ratios.
• Students analyzed a simulated adherence dashboard and completed pre/post online surveys.
• Surveys assessed knowledge of PDC and self-reported confidence, comfort, and knowledge.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant improvement in student knowledge, comfort, and confidence was observed.
• 70 participants provided complete pre- and post-survey data for analysis.
• The hands-on approach using a calendar and database workbook aided understanding.

Conclusions:

• An active learning session combining didactic instruction and practical calculation is effective.
• This educational activity successfully increased student knowledge and confidence in medication adherence metrics.
• The findings support incorporating hands-on activities into pharmacy curricula for adherence education.