Objective. To develop simulator goggles that produce disease-specific characteristics of selected low vision conditions for use in pharmacy education. Methods. Individual sets of simulator goggles were developed for glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinitis pigmentosa. Students rated the presence and severity of disease-specific characteristics after wearing each pair of goggles while manipulating medicationrelated materials. Results. One hundred students completed the study. Characteristic symptoms for each disease state were experienced at a moderate to severe level (p , 0.0001). Subjects indicated a high level of agreement among symptom ratings for each disease (Kendall's coefficient 5 0.82). Conclusions. Low vision simulator goggles reliably produced the characteristics of selected conditions experienced in a medication management environment. Further studies are needed to identify suitable patient-centered learning activities using these goggles.
Objective. To implement and evaluate a simulation activity and related assignments within a geriatric elective to teach pharmacy students about the medication management difficulties experienced by low-vision patients. Design. Students wore low-vision simulation goggles while engaging in medication management tasks. Students also reflected on their experiences in journals and developed modalities to improve low-vision patients' access to prescription information. Assessment. Results of a perception survey indicated that students were able to identify and differentiate among various low-vision medication management difficulties. Students' reflections suggested that they recognized the challenges encountered by low-vision patients. All patient assistance project submissions were suitable for the targeted populations and medication management difficulties. Peer review and student feedback of the activities were favorable. Conclusion. Through this low-vision goggle simulation exercise and other activities, students were able to identify the medication management difficulties encountered by low-vision patients and propose solutions to their drug information access problems.
Objective. To evaluate the degree of cognitive test anxiety (CTA) present in student pharmacists at multiple pharmacy programs in the United States and to determine if there are associations between self-reported CTA and relevant academic outcomes. Methods. All 2018-2019 advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) students from three US Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs (N5260) were invited to participate in the study. Participants completed a validated 37-question survey that included the Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale-2 (CTAS-2) along with demographics-related questions. Responses were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal Wallace, and multiple linear regression where appropriate. Results. One hundred twenty-four students (48%) from the three programs participated in the study, and the individual data of 119 (46%) were included in the final analysis. Twenty-two students (18.5%) were classified as having high CTA, 41 (34.5%) as having moderate CTA, and 56 (47.1%) as having low CTA. High CTA predicted a 8.9 point lower NAPLEX total scaled score after accounting for other variables and was also correlated with lower cumulative didactic GPA, performance on the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA), and increased likelihood of requiring course remediation. Conclusion. High cognitive test anxiety affects 18% of pharmacy students and may significantly impact their performance on a variety of traditional student success measures, including the NAPLEX. Pharmacy educators should consider further use and adoption of test anxiety measurements to identify and assist potentially struggling students.
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