I mpact of Decoding Medication Tradenames on Students’ Performance in Didactic & Experiential Rotation Courses

Abstract

Background Learning medication tradenames is a memorization challenge for pharmacy & healthcare students. Foundational courses utilize generic names. Nevertheless, experiential training followed by real-life practice heavily utilize tradenames. Healthcare curricula are lacking in supporting such need. Decoding medication tradenames can help students to establish the connection between basic science concepts & corresponding clinical applications. For ex: Macrobid®; provides an elegant explanation of the (MACRO) size crystal form of (Macrodantin) designed for slower absorption & less excretion, hence, used twice daily (BID). Hypothesis Therefore, we hypothesized that decoding the hidden messages in tradenames (i.e: explanation of the methodologies &/or techniques used in formulating the top 200 medication tradenames in USA), can result in improved pharmacy students’ academic performance, self-perception of competency & quality of learning in both Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) didactic & experiential rotation courses. Methods An educational intervention of decoding medication tradenames was implemented in the form of Quizlet gimmicks & summary tables before the final summative exam in a didactic IPPE course for first year Pharmacy Students. Aggregate & de-identified students’ scores were used for a blinded paired statistical analysis. A likert scale was used for evaluating the students’ self-perception of competency & quality of learning experience using anonymous voluntary surveys of participating students after both the IPPE didactic and experiential rotation courses. Results In Fall 2018, prior to implementing the educational intervention, paired t-test & Wilcoxon test for paired data analyses showed a statistically significant decrease in students’ performance in summative versus formative assessments (15.4% decrease, [95% CI: -12% to -18.6%], p-value <0.001). Whereas, in Fall 2019 there was a statistically significant increase in students’ performance in summative versus formative assessments (7% increase, [95% CI: 4.4% to 9.7%], p-value <0.001) after implementation of the education intervention. In parallel, at least 80% of students who responded to the survey questions reported that decoding medication tradenames helped them to retain the key features of the medications & connect it to their generic names during the IPPE didactic course. In addition, students also reported that it can help them to provide better medication recommendations, patient counseling sessions & make less medication errors after their experiential rotation course (n=72 / 94 students). Conclusions Supplementing pharmacy curricula with the art & science used in formulating the Top 200 medication tradenames can improve students’ academic performance & positive learning outcomes in didactic courses. Furthermore, decoding the hidden messages instrumented in medication tradenames can also help to improve future pharmacists’ self-perception of confidence in their knowledge base and the resulting quality of healthcare services they can provide during their experiential education.