Educators' and Academic Leaders' Insights on Incorporating Computer-Based Simulation in Pharmacy Education: A Global Qualitative Study

Abstract

Objective: To explore the perspectives of pharmacy educators and academic leaders on the barriers, facilitators, and future directions for implementing computer-based simulation (CBS) in pharmacy practice education.

Methods: An exploratory qualitative approach was employed, using semi-structured interviews to gather perspectives from pharmacy educators and academic leaders. A total of 41 participants were invited, and responses from the 25 interviewees were analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis to identify key themes related to barriers, facilitators, and potential future directions for CBS integration in pharmacy practice education.

Results: A total of 25 participants from 21 countries were included in this study. Educators and leaders were generally consistent in terms of identified themes but differed in their focus; educators emphasized practical challenges related to classroom implementation, while leaders prioritized strategic considerations and institutional goals. The analysis revealed several barriers, particularly workload burdens, resource constraints, skepticism about CBS's ability to achieve desired learning outcomes, personal beliefs, and cultural norms. Facilitators included strong Institutional support via training, alignment with institutional goals, and the presence of advocacy by champions. Future strategies emphasized the importance of interprofessional learning, joint simulation across health professions, institutional partnerships, and leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance CBS's scalability, interactivity, and personalization.

Conclusions: This study identifies key barriers and facilitators to the integration of CBS in pharmacy practice education and underscores the transformative potential of AI in overcoming these challenges. AI was identified as a promising tool for automating assessments, generating scenarios, reducing educator workloads, and improving learning outcomes. Future efforts should prioritize scalable, evidence-based strategies to maximize the impact of CBS on learning outcomes.

Keywords: Computer-based simulation; Curriculum integration; Educational technology; Simulation-based learnings; Virtual patients.