Impact of a case-based activity on student pharmacists' confidence in contraceptive prescribing at a school of pharmacy in the United States

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a case-based activity on student confidence in selecting an appropriate contraceptive product while considering state-specific rules and regulations regarding pharmacist-prescribed contraception in the United States. Methods: A pre- and post-activity survey was utilised to evaluate change in confidence. Results: Of 119 third-year students, 104 completed the pre- and post-survey (87.3% response rate). Among the respondents, 93%-96% reported they were fairly confident or very confident with post-activity survey items regarding confidence in interpreting and utilising state-specific guidance and prescribing algorithms to apply to a given a patient case scenario, as compared to 18-38% in the pre-activity survey (p<0.001 for all items). Additionally, mean scores to Likert scale items increased close to two steps on the scale toward higher levels of confidence after this activity. Conclusion: A case-based activity was effective in improving students’ self-reported confidence in fundamental skills necessary for competence in pharmacist-prescribed contraception.