Performance of Pharmacy students in a comprehensive medication management service in a Primary Health Care Setting

Bruna Damázio Santos,Simone De Araújo Medina Mendonça,Djenane Ramalho-De-Oliveira

doi:10.33448/rsd-v10i9.18400

Abstract

This study aims to assess the performance of pharmacy students in the provision of a comprehensive medication management (CMM) service in a primary health care setting. Methods: A retrospective, descriptive, observational study spanning one academic semester of the provision of the CMM service by pharmacy students was conducted. The data on the profile of patients attended, drug therapy-related problems (DRPs) identified, and the interventions proposed to resolve the DRPs were collected from electronic medical records held by the service. Key findings: A total of 20 patients were attended, predominantly women (65%), with a mean age of 69.2 years. The mean number of health problems per patient was 4.8 and mean medications per patient was 6.8. Of the total 35 DRPs identified, the most common were those related to indication (40%) and effectiveness (22.9%) of the drug therapy. The two most frequent interventions to resolve the DRPs involved starting new therapy and changing dosage, respectively. Conclusions: The results allowed inferences to be made about the effectiveness of pharmacy practice experience for developing clinical competencies of pharmacy students, given that the performance of students proved comparable to that of pharmacists in established CMM services reported in the literature.

Highlights

Practicing in a reflective manner is essential for developing professional competencies (Kolb, 2015)
Mendonça (2017) and Mendonça, Freitas and Ramalho de Oliveira (2017) developed an educational program based on the experiential learning theory to promote training for pharmaceutical care on pharmacy degree courses in Brazil
Under the supervision of three graduate students, provided comprehensive medication management (CMM) services to users of a primary health care setting during one academic semester

Summary

Introduction

Practicing in a reflective manner is essential for developing professional competencies (Kolb, 2015). In Brazil, there is a gap in the literature on experiential learning practice programs for training of clinical competencies of pharmacy degree students. Mendonça (2017) and Mendonça, Freitas and Ramalho de Oliveira (2017) developed an educational program based on the experiential learning theory to promote training for pharmaceutical care on pharmacy degree courses in Brazil. This program was piloted at a federal institution of higher education in the state of Minas Gerais. The educational process followed the logic of the experiential learning cycle proposed by Kolb (2014), in which concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation allowed students to translate clinical experience into the building of clinical knowledge

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Results

Conclusion