How to prepare pharmacy students for pharmaceutical care?

Background and objective: Abstract Submission for ESCP 2013 Workshop Patient care ESCP13WS-1102 Background: The external audit in 2000 was a starting point of big changes in the pharmacy curriculum at Utrecht University. The curriculum should be addressed much more to pharmacists' professional roles in health care, among which pharmaceutical care activities. An educational program was designed to develop students' competency in providing pharmaceutical care. Thereby we distinguish students' competency in patient counseling and student's competency in pharmacist-doctor interactions. The presentation will focus on the education addressed to those communication skills pharmacists need to communicate effectively with patients and with doctors. Results: Students' competency in patient counseling starts with students' understanding of patients' drug use behavior and concerns. In their first year of studying pharmacy, students participate in a 'meet the patient at home' project. Subsequently students' communication skills are developed stepwise, starting from their first year and ending up in their clerkships. In total all students receive 20 h education addressed to these communication skills. However, to those students who fail to pass the assessments at first instance tailor-made education is delivered. In some assessments this concerns nearly 50 % of all students. To develop students' competency in pharmacist-doctor interactions, education is addressed to those communication skills which are needed for the daily telephone calls about individual prescriptions and the drug therapy meetings with doctors. In total all students receive 10 h education to develop the communication skills they need to communicate effectively with prescribers. The assessment is limited to students' competency to chair drug therapy meetings. Only a limited number of students fail to pass this assessments, these students receive additional education which includes feedback about the videotaped personal assessment. Finally, students apply the developed skills in their pharmacy internships. Conclusions: Pharmacy students differ in their needs for educational support in developing their competency to interact with patients, the educational program is adjusted to these different needs. In the interaction with doctors the standardized educational program seems to be sufficient to most students to pass the assessment of interacting with doctors in drug therapy meetings.