Use of a novel videotaped presentation to improve pharmacy student confidence in presenting evidence-based medicine

We assessed the use of a novel videotaped presentation on pharmacy student confidence in presenting an evidence-based recommendation to theoretical healthcare professionals from various disciplines.

Students in a required drug literature evaluation course prepared a three-min videotaped presentation critiquing an assigned journal article with the goal of providing a patient care recommendation to a fictional physician. To determine change in confidence, students completed a pre-/post-survey on a 5-point scale. Survey questions explored confidence in presenting and discussing article evidence with both peers and licensed healthcare providers as well as making verbal recommendations for medication use. The survey also included open-ended questions to assess perceptions of the assignment and suggestions for assignment improvement.

Over two years, 208 students completed both surveys (75.9%). Student confidence significantly increased for all items from the pre- to the post-survey. Items with the largest increase in confidence were presenting medical literature to peers, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals (range 0.72 to 0.89 mean increase for these items). Students reported increased preparedness in presenting, improved conciseness in presenting, and increased self-awareness as a result of the assignment. The majority of students had no suggestions for assignment improvements.

Use of a videotaped assignment is a novel, low-resource option for assessing student skills. This video presentation activity allowed students to gain additional communication practice without additional administrative resources. The activity resulted in increased pharmacy student confidence in discussing medical literature and making evidence-based recommendations for medication use.