Fostering Mindfulness in Continuing Pharmacy Education Using a Board Game: Initial Experiences and Perceptions

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Mindfulness in Healthcare
• Clinical Reasoning

Background:

• Expanding pharmacist scope of practice necessitates optimized continuing professional development (CPD).
• CPD must foster both mindfulness and enhanced clinical decision-making.
• Situated learning principles can be applied to professional development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an educational board game, Iter Vitae, for pharmacist CPD.
• To promote clinical reasoning skills and mindfulness through game-based learning.
• To evaluate participant perceptions of game-based instruction.

Main Methods:

• Iter Vitae was implemented in a national pharmacy meeting CPD session.
• A voluntary survey evaluated participant perceptions of the game-based learning experience.
• Ninety out of 115 attendees completed the anonymous survey.

Main Results:

• Participants strongly agreed Iter Vitae is an effective CPD learning tool.
• Perceptions indicated the game may enhance clinical knowledge, critical thinking, and provider empathy.
• Collaborative learning within authentic case scenarios was highly appreciated.

Conclusions:

• Game-based CPD, like Iter Vitae, can integrate mindful practice within authentic scenarios.
• Further research is needed to quantify the impact of game-based instruction on knowledge, skills, and clinical practice.
• Iter Vitae shows promise for enhancing pharmacist professional development.