Exploring the role of lifestyle medicine in pharmacy education

A review of the literature indicates a gap in training for health professionals who are qualified to deliver lifestyle medicine (LM). Schools of Pharmacy are well-positioned to include LM training yet lack the curriculum and resources to make this change. The purpose of this pilot study aimed to measure pharmacy student perceptions about how to apply LM in their experiential learning and thus, to their future practice.

Using a pre-post survey design, a pilot study was conducted with fourth-year pharmacy students. All fourth-year pharmacy students enrolled in Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences rotations for the 2023-2024 academic year were eligible to participate in this study. Two experiential community pharmacy sites were chosen as LM pilot locations. The students who matched with these sites (LM rotation) were required to complete two LM training modules as a part of the rotation onboarding and orientation process.

Nineteen out of the 57 students completed the pre-survey. Twenty-six students completed the post-survey, with six of those students being in the LM rotation pilot group. Perceptions of self-care and providing counseling on lifestyle approaches, specifically in the areas of physical activity, nutrition, and sleep, were found to be stronger with the LM rotation group.

This study used a practical approach to implementing LM into pharmacy education and highlighted an area of practice expansion for pharmacists. Student responses upon participating in a pilot LM education experience suggest that there is an opportunity to include formal lifestyle medicine education into pharmacy curricula.