Using Simulation to Teach Methods for Improving Patient Literacy about Medicines.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy education
• Health literacy
• Patient self-management

Background:

• Pharmacists educate patients on medication self-management using medicines lists.
• Pharmacy students require training and assessment in health literacy for effective patient consultations.
• Traditional performance-based assessments face challenges with remote online delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate adaptations in pharmacy student assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To assess the effectiveness of video-recorded role-play for health literacy training.
• To examine the impact of remote learning on pharmacy education.

Main Methods:

• Pharmacy students conducted simulated patient education role-plays using medicines lists.
• Assessments were adapted to video-recorded tasks due to remote learning and internet access challenges.
• 304 video submissions were analyzed, with role-plays conducted in-person or via video conferencing.

Main Results:

• Video-recorded tasks allowed for assessment of health literacy skills despite remote learning limitations.
• Adaptations facilitated continued training and assessment of pharmacy students.
• The collaborative nature of the task unexpectedly increased public awareness of medicines lists.

Conclusions:

• Video-recorded assessments are a viable alternative for pharmacy student training in health literacy during disruptions.
• Adaptable educational strategies are crucial for maintaining competency-based assessments in pharmacy.
• The study highlighted the importance of medicines lists in patient education and medication adherence.