NEW-LOOK pharmacy training tools including role-play videos used during COVID-19 lockdowns are boosting the skills of pharmacists in training, research from Monash University reveals.
In a paper published in Pharmacy Education Development, researchers from Monash University's Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences noted restrictions related to COVID-19 had led to changes in their approach to conducting Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), used to assess students' communication skills.
Ordinarily conducted in a face-to-face format, the Monash team introduced a video-recording assessment, allowing students to submit a video of them educating a simulated patient on a medicines list.
The authors noted that COVID restrictions had seen students rely on housemates and family members to play the roles of patients, which has had the knock-on effect of boosting their health literacy.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the traditional framework of our education system, spurring educators around the world to make systematic yet strategic innovations in their teaching and learning methods," they said.
"Pharmacy education in particular, has witnessed a remarkable shift during this unprecedented time, creating meaningful and relevant opportunities for students to prepare themselves for the imminent digitalisation of healthcare.
"Introducing students to simulation activities via telehealth to increase health literacy is clearly a silver lining in this extraordinary circumstance."
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