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Abstract
Background
MyDispense is a free online virtual simulation software developed by Monash University. The software facilitates students to practise, apply and hone the skills of a pharmacist in a realistic environment without the potentially life-threatening consequences of a real-life error. Although the focus of MyDispense was initially on exposure to community pharmacy practice scenarios, its modular build and customizability, indicate that there are a wide range of applications that could be incorporated into pharmacy education. Therefore, this study reviews and appraises the literature on the use of MyDispense within pharmacy education.
Methods
A scoping review was conducted. The electronic databases (CINAHL, Ovid Embase, Ovid Medline, Google Scholar, and Scopus) were searched to identify scholarly articles related to MyDispense in pharmacy education from January 2011 and August 2022.
Results
Forty-three papers met the inclusion criteria and were analysed in this scoping review. A total of 418 key sentences and segments of text were extracted from the papers and subsequently categorized into 10 subthemes. The 10 subthemes were dispensing skills, communication skills, decision-making/problem-solving skills, student performance, pharmacy law, applying theoretical knowledge, support educators, pharmacy practice, feedback/reflection and practice in a risk-free environment. In total, four overarching themes summarize how MyDispense is supporting pharmacy education: supporting education; skill development; application of knowledge and student outcomes.
Conclusion
The scoping review found that MyDispense was mostly used to support education and student skill development. These findings can be used to support pharmacy educators globally on the various uses and applications of MyDispense in their teaching.
Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s40545-023-00618-0.
Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s40545-023-00618-0.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Mina Nichols-Boyd for her valuable contributions in this study.
Author contributions
VM conceived the idea, all of the authors contributed to the design of the study. EM and RM searched the databases. EM, RM and HKK screened the articles for inclusion and collected data. HKK wrote the first draft of the manuscript and all authors reviewed the draft, read an approved the final manuscript.
Funding
Not applicable.
Availability of data and materials
All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article [and its supplementary information files].
Declarations
Ethics approval and consent to participate
Not applicable.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Supplementary Information
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