Curricular integration of the pharmacists' patient care process

Introduction: The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Standard 10 specifies the need to prepare students to provide patient-centered collaborative care. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of a newly introduced Pharmacists' Patient Care Process (PPCP) based laboratory course on students' perception of their preparedness to apply PPCP steps in introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs). Methods: The PPCP was introduced into the Pharmaceutical Care and Dispensing Laboratory course during the second professional year. Students' self-perception of preparedness to apply the PPCP was assessed via a survey composed of questions related to PPCP skillsets. The pre-PPCP laboratory cohort (control group) took the survey after the completion of their IPPEs. The PPCP laboratory cohort (intervention group) took the same survey prior to taking the course, at the end of the course, and following the completion of their IPPEs. Pearson's and McNemar chi-square tests were used for statistical analyses. Results: The findings indicate that the PPCP-based laboratory significantly improved students' perception of their preparedness to apply a standardized pharmacist care process to verify prescriptions, to collect relevant patient information, and to develop an individual patient-centered care plan. This significant impact of the PPCP-based laboratory course on students' perception was maintained through the following year when assessed after IPPEs. Conclusions: Introduction of the PPCP model within a dispensing laboratory course, prior to students' IPPEs, develops students' perception of preparedness. Incorporating the PPCP via active learning and simulation narrows the gap between the didactic and experiential curriculum.