(375) Medication Reconciliation Rotation Impact on Second Year Pharmacy Students’ Self-Perceived Competencies

Trainee Category: Fellow

Objective : To assess change in students’ self-perceptions of medication reconciliation competencies in three core areas: clinical competence, confidence, and communication, after participating in an introductory experiential rotation.

Methods: This is an observational cohort study of pre-post survey data completed by second-year PharmD students. The survey instrument prompted students to reflect upon experiences and rate their own perception of skill levels prior to and after completing the rotation. The survey contains questions in three areas: clinical competency (n=10), confidence (n=5), and communication skills (n=7). Questions are asked in a retrospective pre-post manner (Likert scale 0-10; 0=not competent, 10=fully competent). Additional questions include one summative question about impact to patient care (Likert scale 0-10), and demographic items regarding work in healthcare. Up to 115 students may be included within full study (October 2022-September 2023). Primary study endpoints are changes in the competency areas by composite score, analyzed by paired Student t-test. Secondary endpoints include individual question changes, self-perception of impact on patient care, and sub-group analyses by demographics.

Results: In preliminary analysis, 28 students contributed research data (75.7% of students completing rotation to-date); results indicated improvement across all core areas. Specifically, students rated improved ability to complete thorough/accurate medication histories (pre=6.21±3.28 vs post=9.50±0.79, p< 0.001) and improved confidence in navigating electronic medical records (pre=4.00±3.21 vs post=8.25±1.27, p< 0.001). Additionally, all communication metrics were significantly improved. Students assigned high value to their impact on patient care (7.32±1.52). Before the rotation, nine (32.1%) students reported previously completing medication reconciliations, six (21.4%) observed others completing reconciliations, and 13 (46.4%) had neither completed nor observed reconciliations.

Conclusions: Preliminary analyses suggests that formal medication reconciliation training has a positive outcome on students’ self-perceived competencies.