Rapid integration and student outcomes of virtual, case-based, patient scenarios in advanced pharmacy practice experiences

Abstract

Background: Many healthcare and educational institutions have continued to utilise technology-driven learning well before 2020. However, there is limited published literature that rigorously evaluates student outcomes in virtually-delivered advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) rotations. This article reports student competency and comfort from eighteen 4th professional year Doctor of Pharmacy students from May 2020 to December 2020. Methods: Students completed 40 virtual, case-based, clinical reasoning cases during each 6-week APPE. A validated expert-generated anonymous survey was administered to students on two separate occasions. Student competency was assessed using expert-generated case-based clinical questions, and comfort was assessed using a 5-point Likert scale. Results: Competency scores demonstrated statistically significant improvements in 40% (N=6) of the domains and non-statistically significant improvements in the remaining 60% (N=9). Student comfort improved in 93.33% of the domains but was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Future directions include exploring the impact of virtual cases in combination with on-ground rotations and comparing student knowledge after graduation.