Pharmacy Student Performance in a Capstone Course Utilizing the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Pharmacology
• Clinical Skills Training

Background:

• Traditional pharmacy curricula often lack comprehensive patient work-up skill development.
• The Pharmacist's Patient Care Process (PPCP) provides a structured framework for patient care.
• Third-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students require practical application of clinical knowledge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a pharmacy capstone course focused on patient work-up skills.
• To assess the impact of case-based instruction and the PPCP on student performance and confidence.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a simulated electronic health record (SEHR) in a capstone course.

Main Methods:

• A skills-based capstone course was designed utilizing case-based scenarios with increasing complexity.
• The Pharmacist's Patient Care Process (PPCP) was integrated into patient case evaluations within a simulated electronic health record (SEHR).
• Student learning was assessed via weekly quizzes and two practical examinations.

Main Results:

• Students achieved an average quiz score of 81%, with a significant correlation between quiz performance and practical exam scores.
• Student performance on practical examinations significantly improved from the first to the second assessment (10.4 vs 12.9).
• Student confidence in achieving course objectives showed significant improvement from the course's start to its conclusion.

Conclusions:

• A capstone course integrating the PPCP framework successfully enhanced patient care skills in third-year PharmD students.
• Case-based instruction within an SEHR is an effective method for developing essential patient evaluation abilities.
• The implemented curriculum prepared students for advanced pharmacy practice experiences by reinforcing critical thinking and patient management skills.