Assessing Person-Centered Care in Pharmacy Education

The ability to provide person-centered care is an important aspect of the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process (PPCP); therefore, the assessment of students' skills in this area is essential in pharmacy curricula. The objectives of this article were to: (1) review literature on the assessment of student pharmacists' ability to provide person-centered care, (2) describe trends in assessment practices relevant to this skill, and (3) provide recommendations for pharmacy educators on the assessment of this skill and further research.

A total of 62 sources were included in the analysis for this review. Results were characterized by the educational setting in which the assessment took place (ie, didactic, skills, and/or experiential), assessment strategies (eg, self-evaluations, simulations, knowledge-based quizzes, reflections, objective structured clinical exams), and themes observed for commonly assessed skill areas (eg, empathy, communication, interprofessional teamwork, and social determinants of health). Gaps in the assessment of person-centered care, particularly regarding specific steps of the PPCP (follow-up and documentation) were identified in the sources reviewed.

Assessment practices of students' ability to provide person-centered care within the context of the PPCP were reviewed, and key findings relevant to pharmacy education were described. More holistic person-centered care assessment strategies that encompass the full PPCP are recommended.