About
The ‘Walking in patient’s shoes’ project ran during induction week in
September 2020. Designed for 1st year Pharmacy students, it introduced them to a key part of the curriculum – adherence.
Previously, the project ran as a live simulation, with students physically
picking up prescriptions and taking a placebo medicine. This year the students utilised a range of different technologies to develop a deep understanding of issues that patient’s can face.
The teaching for this project was spread over a week and involved multiple
members of staff. Students engaged in both synchronous and non-synchronous activities during the week. At the end of the project, students submitted a summative assessment, applying their knowledge to create a formulary entry and reflecting on their own experience.
Simulation
To simulate the experience of picking up their medication, students were emailed a prescription for one of three drugs. The drug allocation was randomised using Excel and a mail merge was created using Publisher. The email contained an individualised prescription and a link to a video hosted on YouTube, simulating a patient picking up a prescription.
After watching an asynchronous Formulary lecture, students created their own placebo medication and label. They posted an image of this placebo medication to an online forum.
Before taking their placebo, students self-selected a group in Moodle based on their medication allocation. This group selection allowed students to access a register. Depending of the directions required by the medication, students needed to log on to Moodle up to three times a day, with adherence windows opening for one hour.
The simulation was supported by an interview with a real patient, helping students to develop empathy and understanding.
Synchronous and asynchronous sessions
Student understanding was guided by a series of asynchronous lectures. The issue of adherence was underpinned by research from Dr Robert Horn, a leading researcher in this area. The School of Pharmacy library team was instrumental in supporting students to develop their academic writing, creating both lectures and quizzes for students to test their understanding.
Synchronous sessions included drop-ins, where students utilised mentimeter and chat functions to raise questions and a live debrief of the student data from the simulation activity.
Feedback
The development of digital resources allowed staff to collect more data than in the face to face environment. Staff noted that questions raised during drop in sessions were well informed and students benefited from the additional resources provided to support their reflective assessment.
Data collected by Lecturecast allowed staff to analyse the effectiveness of video materials. Due to video watching times, staff reflected that shorter 5 minute videos might help to improve student engagement.
Student feedback was sought via a Survey. The survey showed that the project was successful in helping students to empathise with patients, with 94% of students definitely / mostly agreeing that “Pharmacists should try to ‘stand in their patients’ shoes’ when providing care to them” and that the activity provided them with opportunities to appreciate the role of pharmacist in supporting patient adherence (90%).
Some students commented that they had difficulty navigating Moodle and adapting to online teaching, therefore it would be useful to explore how students might be better supported during this time.
Overall, 96% of students indicated that they would recommend this induction activity to a new MPharm student starting next year. The challenge therefore, is to consider what activities should remain online if face to face teaching is to resume.