Development and evaluation of a blended learning training programme for pharmacy technicians' continuing education.

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  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101578294 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 2047-9956 (Print) Linking ISSN: 20479956 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Eur J Hosp Pharm Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Original Publication: London : BMJ Publishing Group
    • Subject Terms:
      Pharmacy Technicians*/education ; Education, Pharmacy, Continuing*/methods; Humans ; Adult ; Male ; Female ; Curriculum/standards ; Program Evaluation ; Clinical Competence/standards ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Educational Measurement ; Middle Aged
    • Abstract:
      Objectives: The role of the pharmacy technician (PT) has expanded in recent years, requiring new competencies, better communications skills and high-level knowledge about drugs. The objective of this study is to develop and evaluate a blended learning programme for PTs' continuing professional development.
      Methods: A blended learning programme designed to enhance knowledge, skills and attitudes was created using a six-step approach to curriculum development for medical education. The first part included three short microlearning videos to improve knowledge; the second consisted of a 1.5 hour 'edutainment' session for groups of 5-6 PTs to deepen their knowledge and practice skills. Impacts on knowledge, degree of certainty and self-perceived competence were evaluated before training (pre-test), after the microlearning (post-test 1) and after the edutainment session (post-test 2).
      Results: The three microlearnings were entitled 'Communication', 'Cut-crush a tablet/open a capsule' and 'Pharmacy website'. The edutainment session used team-based learning, game-based learning, peer instruction and simulation. Twenty-six PTs of mean±SD age 36±8 years participated. Pre-test and post-test 1 evaluation scores showed significant overall improvements in mean knowledge (9.1/18 vs 12.1/18, p<0.001), mean degree of certainty (3.4/5 vs 4.2/5, p<0.001) and mean self-perceived competence (58.6/100 vs 72.3/100, p<0.001). After post-test 2, mean knowledge (12.1/18 vs 13.1/18, p=0.010) and mean self-perceived competence (72.3/100 vs 81.1/100, p=0.001) scores had improved, but not mean degree of certainty (4.2/5 vs 4.4/5, p=0.105). All participants found the blended learning programme suitable for their continuing professional development.
      Conclusions: The present study showed the positive effects of using our blended learning programme to improve PTs' knowledge, degree of certainty and self-perceived competence, to their great satisfaction. This pedagogical format will be integrated into PTs' continuing professional development and include other educational topics.
      Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.
      (© European Association of Hospital Pharmacists 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. Published by BMJ.)
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    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: EDUCATION, PHARMACY; Education, Pharmacy, Continuing; PHARMACY SERVICE, HOSPITAL; Professional Competence; Quality of Health Care
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20230310 Date Completed: 20240822 Latest Revision: 20240829
    • Publication Date:
      20240830
    • Accession Number:
      PMC11347261
    • Accession Number:
      10.1136/ejhpharm-2022-003679
    • Accession Number:
      36898765