Evaluation of pharmacy students in a self-care standardised patient simulation

Background: Community pharmacists are generally accessible by patients, providing a direct access to care. Objective: The objective was to determine the difference in student performance in a self-care simulation between using fourth-year pharmacy students (academic) as patients versus trained individuals known as standardised patients. Method: The simulation was incorporated into the second-year of a Doctor of Pharmacy degree programme. Second-year students completed a self-care consultation with academic students playing the role of a patient in 2015. The same case scenario was completed by a second cohort of students utilising paid standardised patients in 2016. The academic and standardised patients completed the same assessment rubric based on the QuEST/SCHOLAR method for each student encounter in both years. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board. Results: One hundred and thirty-two (2015) and 108 (2016) second-year students completed the self-care simulation. There was no difference in the overall mean students' scores on the assessment rubric between the standardised and academic patients. However, students performed better on characterising the problem of the patient and identifying other medications taken by the patient with the standardised patients. Conclusion: Student interactions with an academic or standardised patient gives students an opportunity for feedback to improve their self-care patient interactions.