Peer-assisted learning to enhance pharmacy students' understanding of drug discovery in a conflict-affected setting

Drug discovery is a complex, multidisciplinary process that requires pharmacy graduates to be effective analytical, teamwork-oriented, and problem-solving individuals. Traditional teaching approaches have shortcomings in enabling students to learn such skills, particularly in resource-limited or disrupted educational settings.

The aim of this study was to measure the effect of a peer-assisted learning (PAL) intervention on Sudanese pharmacy students' knowledge, confidence, and perceptions towards the drug discovery process during a period of conflict-related disruption.

A quasi-experimental pre-post design was used. Twenty-nine students with inclusion criteria attended a four-session web-based PAL workshop led by senior pharmacy students trained for the purpose. Pre-and post-intervention, multiple-choice questionnaires were employed to assess knowledge. Perceptions were assessed with Likert-scale and open-ended survey questions. Statistical analyses included paired t-tests and ANOVA.

Post-test scores showed an improvement (mean increase = 3.62; p < .001). Improvements in some content areas, including phenotypic drug discovery and ethical principles, were observed. High levels of satisfaction with PAL were expressed by students, with 96.6 % mentioning confidence in peer leaders and 93.1 % perceiving the sessions as well-organized and relevant. No differences were observed across gender, academic year, university, or location.

PAL effectively improved students' understanding of drug discovery and was widely accepted among multiple groups of learners. Its successful implementation in a conflict-affected context indicates the promise of PAL as an adaptive, low-resource learning strategy. Further studies must explore its scalability and sustained effectiveness as a pharmacy education intervention.