Pharmacist-led workshops to enhance pharmacotherapy knowledge for medical students

Abstract

Background: Graduating medical students have reported concern regarding inadequate training in pharmacotherapy. Teaching by clinical pharmacists may improve medical students' pharmacotherapy knowledge.

Purpose: To assess the impact of pharmacist led workshops on 4th year medical students' knowledge of pharmacotherapy and satisfaction.

Methods: Senior medical students enrolled in intensive care unit rotations at a US medical school were randomized to an intervention of pharmacist led case-based workshops or a control group without an explicit pharmacotherapy curriculum. Intervention group students attended four weekly 1-hour workshops that covered topics in pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, drug interactions and toxicity. A multiple-choice test of clinical vignettes assessed students' knowledge of pharmacotherapy. An end of clerkship survey assessed student satisfaction with teaching.

Results: Of 176 medical students eligible, 148 agreed to participate and were randomized to the intervention (n = 63) or control groups (n = 85). Student satisfaction with pharmacist led workshops was high. End of clerkship performance on clinical vignettes (minimum score 0, maximum 100) was similar between the groups (mean score 47 (SD = 12.2) for intervention vs 44 (SD = 13.0) for control group, p = 0.16). On end of clerkship survey, only 8% of control group students agreed or strongly agreed that the standard curriculum provided sufficient teaching in pharmacotherapy. The majority of students (82%) felt that pharmacotherapy should be taught formally in the clinical years.

Conclusion: Pharmacist led workshops on pharmacotherapy were well received by senior medical students but did not improve performance on a test of pharmacotherapy knowledge. Further study is needed to define optimal strategies for improving medical students' pharmacotherapy knowledge.