Cost-Effectiveness of Using Standardized Patients to Assess Student-Pharmacist Communication Skills.

To explore the cost-effectiveness of including standardized patients (SP) in the didactic curriculum for application and assessment of students' pharmacist-patient communication skills. Five role play/case study (RP/CS) activities from a communication skills curriculum were replaced with five SP encounters. Communication was assessed using a rubric.

Student performance on a knowledge-based exam may predict student ability to communicate effectively with a standardized patient during an objective structured clinical examination.

Background: The purpose of this article is to describe the extent that student performance on in-class exams in a drug information course is associated with student performance on medication counseling in a high-stakes assessment using standardized patients (SP).

Methods: Students completed two traditional knowledge-based exams during a drug information and communication course. The objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) was the final exam for the course.

Predictors of student performance on the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment at a new school of pharmacy using admissions and demographic data.

Objectives: To characterize student performance on the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) and to determine the significance of specific admissions criteria and pharmacy school performance to predict student performance on the PCOA during the first through third professional years.

Methods: Multivariate linear regression models were developed to study the relationships between various independent variables and students' PCOA total scores during the first through third professional years.

Results: To date, four cohorts have successfully taken the PCOA examination.

The opinion of preceptors and students of very early IPPE rotations delivered concurrently with didactic courses.

Introduction: The Marshall University School of Pharmacy had the opportunity to create an experiential education program where IPPE education was introduced in their P1 year and was concurrent with didactic coursework. The School begins the delivery of experiential education as soon as the sixth week of the first professional year.

Objective: To ascertain the opinion of institutional preceptors, community preceptors, and students after the first academic year to discern viewpoints on the effectiveness and value of very early P1 experiential rotations.

Could the Pharmaceutical Industry Benefit from Full-Scale Adoption of Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology with New Regulations?

Healthcare regulators are directing attention to the pharmaceutical supply chain with the passage of the Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA) and the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). Adoption of Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has the ability to improve compliance, reduce costs, and improve safety in the supply chain but its implementation has been limited; primarily because of hardware and tag costs. The purpose of this research study was to analyze the benefits to the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare system of the adoption of RFID technology as a result of newly implemented supply chain regulations.