Impact of a Co-curricular Poverty Simulation on Pharmacy Students’ Socioeconomic and Patient Advocacy Attitudes and Beliefs

Abstract

Background: Pharmacists are well-positioned to assist patients facing poverty with financial and well-being resource navigation. Pharmacy educators must find avenues for students that foster awareness of applicable challenges encountered by economically disadvantaged patients. Objective: This study examines the impact of a poverty simulation on pharmacy students’ socioeconomic and patient advocacy attitudes and beliefs. Methods: Third year professional pharmacy students participated in the Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS). Students were asked to voluntarily complete a survey prior to and following their participation. The survey was based upon a combination of 3 previously validated survey tools: Attitudes Toward Poverty (ATP) scale, Medical Student Attitudes Toward the Underserved (MSATU), and the Locus of Control Scale (LCS). Students also responded to open-ended questions postsimulation. Results: Forty of the 74 students completed both the presimulation and postsimulation surveys. Significant changes were seen in a matched sample analysis for 17 of 49 survey questions. Prominent differences (decreasing agreement) came from the statements: “An able-bodied person collecting welfare is ripping off the system” and “Welfare makes people lazy”; and increasing agreement that “I feel personally responsible for providing medical care to the needy.” Open-ended survey responses reflected a greater understanding of time and effort needed to locate and navigate available resources, and challenges such as adhering to medication regimens due to inability to pay. Conclusion: A poverty simulation, such as CAPS, is an effective method to encourage pharmacy students to reflect on their future impact toward patients facing the challenges of poverty. The shift in students’ attitudes and beliefs on various measures revealed that the simulation had an impact on altering perceptions for those with low socioeconomic status.