Improving medical and pharmacy student confidence in medication management and attitudes about interprofessional collaboration by utilizing an interprofessional module

ABSTRACT

Adverse drug events are common and often preventable. Educating the interprofessional workforce to appropriately manage medications as part of a team is a priority. An interprofessional medication management module for graduating medical and pharmacy students was developed. The module was case-based and co-led by physicians and pharmacists. Students completed pre- and post-module surveys regarding their attitudes about interprofessional collaboration, confidence in managing medications, and self-reported ability to perform the tasks laid out in the minimum geriatrics competencies as a result of the module. Eighteen medical and 13 pharmacy students participated over a two-year period. There was statistically significant improvement in students’ attitudes about interprofessional collaboration with regards to understanding their role and the role of others on the interprofessional team, and about teamwork between medical and pharmacy students. There was also statistically significant improvement in confidence with regards to the 3 medication management competencies after completion of the module. The vast majority of students agreed that the module improved their self-reported ability to manage medications. An interprofessional medication management module is an effective way to improve medical and pharmacy students’ attitudes about interprofessional collaboration and confidence in medication management.

KEYWORDS:

• Interprofessional education
• medication management
• medication safety
• undergraduate medical education

Declaration of Interests

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. This work was supported by a grant from the authors’ institution and a HRSA Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry Clinician Educator Career Development Award.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration [Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry Clinician Educator Career Development Award grant #K02HP30823];Pritzker School of Medicine [Grant from the Academy of Distinguished Medical Ed]