Comparison of MyDispense with in-person simulation in drug information training of pharmacy curriculum - a randomized cross-over study

BackgroundDrug information training is restricted to pharmacy students due to the lack of opportunities for training and the inadequate number of drug information centers. Drug information simulation requires manpower and is time-consuming to arrange. MyDispense (MD) is widely accepted by numerous pharmacy schools and plays a major role in training students for various courses in the pharmacy curriculum. However, the students' performances and perceptions of MD in drug information training involving nonjudgmental queries are yet to be established.ObjectiveTo compare the student's success and perceptions of virtual versus in-person simulation in providing drug information.MethodsA cross-over study design was used to compare student performance and perception of virtual and in-person simulation. A total of one hundred and forty-nine students consented to participate in the study. They were randomly allocated, with 75 assigned to the MD group and 74 to the in-person simulation group for exercise (1) Then, the students crossed over to in-person simulations and MD for exercise (2) A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire consisting of ten items was developed and validated to assess their perception regarding the learning experience of drug information exercises. Simple logistic regression was used to compare the students' success rate, and the mean value of students' responses was compared using non-parametric tests.ResultsIn exercise 1, a significant association of student success with MD was observed with task 2 (Identify the patient's background; p = 0.001) and task 3 (Identify background information of the drug information query; p = 0.002). The students expressed a significantly higher confidence level (p = 0.000) when dealing with virtual patients, as reflected in their success rate regarding the identification of the background of the patient and the nature of the drug information question during exercise 1. However, students' responses to the item related to the confidence level had no significant difference in exercise 2 (p = 0.382). Further, in-person and MDs had no significant differences regarding student perception of the remaining tasks in both exercises. Also, the student performances were comparable between virtual and in-person simulation in exercise 2.ConclusionThe students' performances and perceptions were comparable between virtual and in-person simulations at different times. Therefore, MD can be implemented to train the students regarding drug information services and handle nonjudgmental queries at community pharmacies.