Evaluation of a New Home Patient Services Practicum for Community Pharmacy Students in Japan

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the practicum as well as assess the knowledge, skills, and various specific realizations that the students gained from it. A total of 244 students role-played a scenario in which a pharmacist visited a patient at home and provided pharmaceutical management services. After completing the practicum, the students completed (i) a questionnaire survey consisting of six questions that assessed their level of understanding of the role of pharmacists in home medical care and (ii) a rubric survey that evaluated their learning achievement. In addition, they submitted practicum portfolios describing the patients’ living conditions, physical conditions, and background as well as the services that required consideration of said variables. Their responses to the portfolio item “What were noticed through the practicum” were analyzed using the grounded theory approach. After the practicum, 45% and 53% of the students reported having a full and partial understanding of a pharmacists’ role in home medical care. The students’ mean ± standard deviation rubric score was 3.0 ± 0.4. They classified monitoring drug use, support for improving medication adherence, and observation to identify side effects early as major service categories in home medical care. The practicum led the students to perceive the need for communication with patients and various healthcare professionals to improve their readiness for practical training.