Who killed Mr. Brown? A hospital murder mystery in a pharmacy skills course.

PURPOSE: To improve critical thinking skills and enhance team dynamics, a pilot study for inclusion of a murder mystery activity within the pharmacy practice skills laboratory was designed for student pharmacists. METHODS: In groups, students participated in a murder mystery activity and were assessed via rubrics to critically evaluate potential reasons for a patient's death and find solutions for process improvements. Through an optional survey, students were asked about their group's ability to work as part of a healthcare team, which included identification of conflict management techniques. Faculty used an inductive coding process on student feedback to identify strengths and opportunities for growth. RESULTS: All groups successfully completed the patient's cause of death and root cause analysis. Overall, students agreed their teams worked well together in solving this mystery. Communication was found to be both a strength and a weakness among group members and many students were able to self-identify conflict management strategies that were utilized during the activities. CONCLUSION: Use of a murder mystery activity in a pharmacy skills laboratory is a unique approach to foster development of critical thinking skills and highlights the complexity with which a healthcare team must operate together to provide patient care.

Pre-post assessment of student application of medication therapy management skills in virtual environments using English and non-English patients.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A Medication Therapy Management (MTM) encounter allows pharmacists to gather information to make appropriate assessments and recommendations regardless of the patient's language needs and the encounter environment utilized. With the goal of improving comfort and confidence in providing MTM services, working with an interpreter, and providing care in a virtual environment, students participated in a virtual MTM activity with English and non-English speaking patients. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: In groups, students completed two MTM encounters during a virtual skills laboratory. Students were asked to complete a pre- and post-lab survey to gauge their confidence before and after completing these encounters. One encounter was with an English-speaking patient, and one was with a non-English speaking patient which utilized an interpreter for communication. Both encounters were completed using a virtual platform. FINDINGS: As a result of these activities, students reported improved confidence in providing MTM services to a patient who speaks a language different than themselves and managing patients using a virtual platform. Students self-identified that teamwork and pre-encounter preparation were essential for effective MTM services. SUMMARY: Students found completing virtual MTM was a beneficial way to improve comfort and confidence with navigating virtual platforms, gathering medication information, and working with interpreters.

Always ask your pharmacist: Using the media to enhance student drug information skills.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Social media is a source for information and misinformation, including healthcare information. Pharmacy students are trained to critically assess health information literature; however, this does not typically extend into assessing claims made on social media platforms. Students were asked to evaluate social media claims to provide a patient-specific recommendation and response. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Each student was given one of five media claims and asked to assess the validity of the claim to create a response and a recommendation for a provider and a patient. Students were placed in small groups for a verbal presentation of all the claims and a facilitator-led discussion about the pharmacist's role in healthcare information. FINDINGS: Students responded to the media claims and were able to support or reject the validity of the statements. They also created a variety of patient-facing informational documents. SUMMARY: The inclusion of questions derived from media sources is a unique way to incorporate drug information skills that is relevant to real-world practice.

Professional partners: Longitudinal interprofessional education events with pharmacy and nursing programs.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Faculty from a school of pharmacy and a school of nursing developed a series of interprofessional education (IPE) events to create a two-year, longitudinal experience to maximize the time student groups would be able to work together. This paper outlines the activities created and the assessment tool utilized to evaluate the experiences. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Four activities were planned for 43 pharmacy and 19 nursing students to cover topics encountered by both professions. These included Vitals Techniques, Medication Reconciliation, End of Life Care, and Enteral/Parenteral Nutrition. Each activity was evaluated by students using a modified Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey (ICCAS). FINDINGS: The most challenging part of creating this longitudinal experience was finding dates and keeping the groups the same from activity to activity. Despite this, the activities were well executed and for each event, over 95% of students completing the ICCAS survey agreed that the activities were appropriate and beneficial for IPE. Anecdotally, students enjoyed the experience and appreciated the group consistency over time. SUMMARY: The creation of a series of longitudinal IPE activities was successfully implemented between a school of pharmacy and a school of nursing.

Combining simulated academic detailing with naloxone training to prepare student pharmacists for opioid risk mitigation strategies.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Academic detailing (AD) is an educational outreach intervention designed to provide clinicians with current evidenced-based education to improve patient care and is effective in mitigating opioid risks. Student pharmacists' abilities to apply naloxone training can benefit from concomitant AD training by highlighting skills needed to effectively assess patient and provider needs and handle objections in a non-biased, evidence-supported manner while reinforcing the application of naloxone administration. Most states have a standing order for pharmacist prescribed naloxone. School of pharmacy clinical science faculty sought to create a combined educational activity teaching naloxone AD in conjunction with hands-on naloxone training to better prepare students to apply the standing order in their future careers. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Students in an accelerated pharmacy program applied their AD skills during pharmaceutical skills laboratory activities, emphasizing the use of naloxone administration under the standing order. Students then demonstrated their ability to administer naloxone to a "patient" who experienced an emergency after opioid use. FINDINGS: While many schools of pharmacy offer either naloxone or AD training to students, none were identified that offered both trainings combined for use with mitigation strategies for opioid management. SUMMARY: The combination of simulated AD with naloxone administration training was designed as a unique opportunity to foster naloxone education and enhance student understanding and demonstration of naloxone administration. School of pharmacy programs should recognize the opportunity to combine these activities to prepare students for application of statewide naloxone standing orders.

Transferability of a diabetes escape room into an accelerated pharmacy program.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Educational games can be used to increase students' knowledge of diabetes management. Students perceive educational games to be valuable learning tools. This study evaluated the transferability of a serious game, the diabetes escape room, between skills laboratories in a traditional program and an accelerated program. The authors believe that this is a valuable addition to educational methods for students in any pharmacy program. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Faculty at an accelerated, three-year pharmacy program replicated a diabetes escape room previously used by a traditional, four-year pharmacy program. The diabetes escape room required students to compete in a team-based educational game in which they solved diabetes-themed puzzles. Students completed pre- and post-game knowledge assessments and a perception survey linked to activity participation. The accelerated program students completed an additional delayed post-game knowledge assessment. FINDINGS: Students showed a statistically significant difference between pre- and post-game knowledge assessment scores at both institutions as well as in the delayed post-game knowledge assessment implemented at the accelerated program. Perception survey results were statistically significantly higher for the accelerated program, however both cohorts suggested positive perceived engagement with and usefulness of the escape room. SUMMARY: The use of a diabetes escape room resulted in statistically significant gains in knowledge and positive student perceptions. The diabetes escape room is a transferrable activity that can be used by other colleges or schools of pharmacy.