(55) Evaluation and Assessment of High-Fidelity Simulation in a Third Year, Clinical Toxicology Pharmacy Course

Objective : To assess the effects of high-fidelity patient simulation on education and assessment of pharmacy students in a clinical toxicology course.

Methods: Twenty-four hours prior to attending a classroom simulation session, 73 students were asked to complete a 6-question, multiple choice pre-test, focused on concepts that had been introduced via didactic lectures. During a classroom session with a simulation mannequin, students participated in multiple hands-on patient-cases reflecting the concepts they were tested on. A week after the classroom simulation, a post-test composed of the same 6 questions was required to be completed. The same 6 questions were then included on the final exam, which was taken a week following the post-test. The primary endpoint was the difference in median scores between the 3 tests. Test scores were compared between groups using a repeated measures ANOVA, with post-hoc pairwise comparisons done with a Tukey test. Secondary endpoints compared the proportion correct for each individual question between the 3 tests.

Results: Median test scores for simulation questions evaluated were 88.9%, 100%, and 100% for the pre-test, post-test and final, respectively. There was an overall significant difference between groups (p <.0001), with post-hoc testing showing a difference between pre and post-test scores (p <.0001) and pre- test and final scores (p <.0001). No significant difference was seen between post-test and final scores (p=.609). For secondary endpoints, 3 of the 6 questions saw significant increases in pre and post test scores, which were significantly maintained during the final.

Conclusions: Median test scores on post-test and final examination significantly improved from baseline pre-test scores following attendance and participation in a high-fidelity simulation session.