Anonymous Peer Assessment of Medication Management Reviews

Abstract

Objectives. To investigate whether pharmacy students' anonymous peer assessment of a medication management review (MMR) was constructive, consistent with the feedback provided by an expert tutor, and enhanced the students' learning experience. Design. Fourth-year undergraduate pharmacy students were randomly and anonymously assigned to a partner and participated in an online peer assessment of their partner's MMR.Assessment. An independent expert graded a randomly selected sample of the MMR's using a schedule developed for the study. A second expert evaluated the quality of the peer and expert feedback. Students also completed a questionnaire and participated in a focus group interview. Student peers gave significantly higher marks than an expert for the same MMR; however, no significant difference between the quality of written feedback between the students and expert was detected. The majority of students agreed that this activity was a useful learning experience. Conclusions. Anonymous peer assessment is an effective means of providing additional constructive feedback on student performance on the medication review process. Exposure to other students' work and the giving and receiving of peer feedback were perceived as valuable by students.

Pharmacy Students’ Perceptions of and Attitudes Towards Peer Assessment Within a Drug Literature Evaluation Course

“…This is slightly higher than a 2010 study of Australian undergraduate pharmacy students in which 84% of respondents indicated agreement. 11 Our sample population was enrolled in a PharmD program rather than a bachelor of pharmacy program, which may account for the variance in agreement. Another explanation for the slight variance is that the 2010 study asked students' to assess the content of their peers' medication management reviews whereas our study asked students to assess their peers' work quality and work ethic.…”

“…Another explanation for the slight variance is that the 2010 study asked students' to assess the content of their peers' medication management reviews whereas our study asked students to assess their peers' work quality and work ethic. 11 Students may feel more equipped assessing peers' work ethic than their actual medication management clinical skills. Additionally, differences seen in our study regarding students' comfort level with providing versus receiving peer feedback are similar to those in a 2008 survey of medical students in which students indicated that they felt more comfortable receiving than giving feedback (81% versus 72%).…”

“…7 Finally, the generally favorable view of peer assessment found in our study is consistent with views held by students surveyed in other studies. 7,8,[10][11] Anonymity appears to be a factor that promotes students' comfort with providing and/or receiving peer feedback. [5][6][7]9,11 The students in our study seemed conflicted as to whether having a preexisting friendship with their partner(s) helped them to complete and/or receive peer assessment (13.1% found it very helpful, 24.4% found it helpful, 12.5% found it somewhat helpful, and 20.6% found it not helpful).…”

“…Other previously published studies surveyed medical students, undergraduate pharmacy students (ie, pre-professional year), or pharmacy students on inter-group peer assessment in a PBL setting. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Additionally, this survey instrument asked students to indicate how much certain factors affected their attitudes towards completing and/or receiving peer feedback.…”

Practical Team-Based Learning from Planning to Implementation

“…Use of peerevaluation tools, in which students remain anonymous and/or faculty advisors summarize feedback prior to communicating results to students, may improve both the quantity and quality of feedback. 32 Adequate training must be provided to students so they can understand the mechanics of the peer-evaluation tool to ensure accurate, effective, and efficient feedback.…”