Comparison of Student Pharmacists’ Clinical Interventions by Semester During APPE Internal Medicine and Critical Care Rotations

Abstract

Background: Students contribute to health care through clinical interventions made during rotations. Previous studies assessed student interventions through cost savings instead of student progression throughout the year. Objective: The purpose of this project is to assess clinical interventions made by student pharmacists completing internal medicine and critical care rotations during their Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) year to determine whether there is a difference in the number and type of interventions between three 3-block rotations, rotation type, and participation in a concentrated learning experience. Methods: Student clinical interventions from 2013 to 2018 were collected. Interventions were organized into categories and subcategories. The primary end point was the difference in the number of interventions between rotation blocks 1 to 3, 4 to 6, and 7 to 9. Secondary objectives compared interventions based on rotation type and participation in a concentrated learning experience. Descriptive statistics and Fisher’s exact tests were conducted. Results: A total of 848 interventions were analyzed. Average student interventions were 39 in blocks 1 to 3, 18 in blocks 4 to 6, and 62 in blocks 7 to 9. Interventions were significantly above the median for students in blocks 1 to 3 and blocks 7 to 9 compared to blocks 4 to 6 ( P = .048 and P = .036), respectively. Interventions were significantly above the median for students completing critical care rotations ( P = .03). No significant difference was noted in the number of interventions above the median based on participation in a concentrated learning experience ( P = .34). Conclusions: Although a difference exists in the number of interventions made during 3 semesters, more research is needed to assess the relationship of rotation block, student program, and rotation type to intervention number.