Assessment Tools for Evaluating Pharmacy Students' Knowledge on HIV Prophylaxis: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Infectious Disease Control
• HIV/AIDS Research

Background:

• Pharmacy students require comprehensive knowledge of HIV prophylaxis, including preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and postexposure prophylaxis (PEP).
• Existing assessment tools may not adequately cover all aspects of HIV prophylaxis knowledge, particularly PEP.
• Evaluating student knowledge is crucial for identifying educational gaps and improving preparedness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically identify and evaluate instruments measuring pharmacy students' knowledge of HIV prophylaxis (PrEP and PEP).
• To assess the current landscape of knowledge assessment tools for HIV prophylaxis in pharmacy education.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search across multiple databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, etc.).
• Independent screening of articles by two reviewers.
• Inclusion of studies assessing pharmacy students' knowledge of HIV prophylaxis.

Main Results:

• Eight cross-sectional studies involving 1,797 students were identified, primarily from the U.S.
• Six tools focused on PrEP, one on PEP, and one on both; knowledge retention was assessed in only one study.
• While PrEP knowledge showed some confidence, significant gaps were found in PEP awareness, access, and prescribing guidelines.

Conclusions:

• A significant shortage of validated assessment tools for postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) knowledge exists.
• Further research is essential to develop and validate instruments for measuring PEP knowledge and addressing educational deficits.
• Longitudinal studies are recommended to evaluate educational interventions and enhance pharmacy students' preparedness in HIV prophylaxis.