Abstract
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacy education has shifted from in-person teaching and assessments to the virtual environment. Many education programs had previously adopted objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) to assess communication abilities in-person with standardized patients (SPs). However, comparative student outcome data between virtual and in-person methods as well as guidance on how to conduct communication-based OSCEs in the virtual environment is lacking. The University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SSPPS) describes its methods of conducting two types of communication-based OSCEs (patient counseling and gathering a medical history). Student performance data from the two virtual OSCEs in 2020 was compared to results from two 2019 in-person OSCEs using Mann Whitney U Tests. The 2020 cohort scored significantly higher than the 2019 cohort in all variables (i.e., using effective verbal and non-verbal communication, using patient friendly education, organizing the encounter, demonstrating empathy, establishing trust, professionalism) and in overall score. However, the effect size for these findings indicate the differences between performances are generally small and more likely due to changes in grading patterns due to the pandemic.
Highlights
The pharmacy profession has been transitioning from a focus on medication preparation and dispensing roles to patient-centered clinical practice
While the communications curricula at the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SSPPS) previously prepared students for some aspects of telephonic-based care, delivery through virtual visit methods were not previously assessed
No other significant differences were found between groups on the objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs)
Summary
The pharmacy profession has been transitioning from a focus on medication preparation and dispensing roles to patient-centered clinical practice. During this evolution, objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) have been increasingly utilized within pharmacy education to assess clinical skills and communication abilities [1,2]. OSCEs in pharmacy education are completed in-person with use of standardized patients (SPs) [4]. The COVID-19 pandemic quickly necessitated a shift to virtual delivery of OSCEs. While the communications curricula at the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SSPPS) previously prepared students for some aspects of telephonic-based care, delivery through virtual visit methods (patient visits conducted over video technology) were not previously assessed
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
