Impact of a Film on Student Pharmacists' Views on Quality of Life and Aging

Objective. To assess the effectiveness of film in providing health and quality-of-life experiences of aging to student pharmacists. Methods. Third professional year student pharmacists enrolled in an elective course in geriatric pharmacy were shown a made-for-television movie, To Dance With the White Dog, which portrays elderly people experiencing health and quality-of-life issues. The student pharmacists were surveyed before and after viewing. The survey contained Likert-scale items as well as open-ended directed reflection questions. Responses to pre- and post-intervention surveys were compared using descriptive statistics and the Student t test for paired data. Qualitative content analysis was used to evaluate the directed reflection data. Results. Of the 69 students surveyed, 97% completed the pre- and post-intervention survey instruments. Comparison of pre- and post-survey data revealed non-significant increases in the strength of student pharmacists' agreement with statements on film as a useful resource. Students' self-reported understanding of geriatric health and quality-of-life experiences improved significantly from pre- to post-intervention. Agreement that film was a valid alternative to a lecture decreased slightly on the post-intervention survey. Through qualitative analysis of student reflections on the film activity, the themes of meaningful experience, opportunity to consider an approach to practice, and opportunity to experience the patient perspectives of autonomy, death, self-image of aging, and medication burden were identified. Conclusion. In pharmacy education, the combination of viewing a film followed by class discussion and written reflection was perceived by student pharmacists as a valuable method of learning about age-related health and quality-of-life experiences.