Development and Assessment of Targeted, Live, and Interactive Continuing Pharmacy Education Workshops in Dementia Care for North Dakota Pharmacists

Abstract

BackgroundWith the growing US aging population, need for a health care workforce able to provide dementia care will increase.ObjectiveTo develop, deliver, and assess interactive live workshops for licensed North Dakota pharmacists in dementia care.MethodsProspective interventional study of impact of free-of-charge, interactive, five-hour workshops for pharmacists providing advanced training in Alzheimer’s disease, vascular and Parkinson’s disease dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, and common reversible causes of cognitive impairment. The workshop was offered three times across two different locations in ND: Fargo and Bismarck. Online pre- and postworkshop questionnaires were administered to collect demographics, attendance rationale, perceived ability to provide dementia care, and workshop quality/satisfaction. A 16-item assessment instrument/ test (1 point/item) was developed to assess pre- and postworkshop competency in dementia-related care (ie, knowledge, comprehension, application, and analysis). Descriptive statistics and pairedt-test were performed using Stata 10.1.ResultsSixty-nine pharmacists were trained and completed the competency test assessments; 95.7% ND pharmacists completed pre-and postworkshop questionnaires. The overall competency test scores improved from 5.7 ± 2.2 to 13.0 ± 2.8 (P< 0.001) and individual scores for each disease/problem also improved significantly (P< 0.001). Increases corresponded with increased self-reported perceived ability to provide dementia care; 95.4 to 100% of participants agreed/strongly agreed learning needs were met, teaching was effective, were satisfied with content and educational material usefulness, and would recommend workshop.ConclusionWorkshop had measurable, immediate benefit on knowledge and ability to apply learned information. Structured, interactive workshops are valuable for improving pharmacists’ competency in dementia care.