A Module in Medication Safety Involving Remote Access and Review of Veterans' Health Records

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Medication Safety
• Ambulatory Care

Background:

• Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE) are crucial for developing practical skills.
• Traditional IPPE models face logistical and resource challenges.
• Remote learning modalities offer a potential solution for expanding experiential education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a remote ambulatory care IPPE module focused on medication safety monitoring.
• To evaluate the use of electronic health records (EHRs) in a virtual learning environment.
• To determine the impact on first- and second-year pharmacy students' skills.

Main Methods:

• A remote ambulatory care IPPE module was developed and integrated into a required course.
• Students remotely accessed real patient EHRs under clinical pharmacist supervision.
• Medication safety monitoring involved reviewing lab results for specific high-risk medications.

Main Results:

• Fifty-eight students reviewed 148 patient records, initiating lab tests for 79 patients.
• Students reported significant improvements in monitoring laboratory tests and using actual EHRs.
• Enhanced understanding of clinical dashboards for population health activities was observed.

Conclusions:

• Remote ambulatory care IPPEs utilizing actual EHRs can successfully provide essential practice experience.
• This model expands educational capacity for pharmacy schools facing resource constraints.
• Exploring remote IPPEs is recommended for institutions seeking to meet experiential education requirements.