Peer-to-Peer Interprofessional Health Policy Education for Medicare Part D

Abstract

Objectives. To determine whether a peer-to-peer education program was an expedient and effective approach to improve knowledge and promote interprofessional communication and collaboration. Design. Trained pharmacy students taught nursing students, medical students, and medical residents about the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit (Part D), in 1-to 2-hour lectures. Assessment. Learners completed a survey instrument to assess the effectiveness of the presentation and their attitudes toward the peer-to-peer instructional format. Learners strongly or somewhat agreed that the peer-to-peer format was effective in providing Part D education (99%) and promoted interprofessional collaboration (100%). Qualitative data highlighted the program's clinical relevance, value in promoting interprofessional collaboration, and influence on changing views about the roles and contributions of pharmacists. Conclusion. The Part D peer educator program is an innovative way to disseminate contemporary health policy information rapidly, while fostering interprofessional collaboration.

Pharmacy Students Teaching Prescribers Strategies to Lower Prescription Drug Costs for Underserved Patients

“…The current study is methodologically stronger than prior studies 18,19 in which knowledge acquisition was measured via learners' self-report. In this study, case-based questions were used to assess the extent to which learners improved their knowledge of specific drug cost-saving programs and strategies.…”

“…18,19 However, these studies relied on self-assessment of knowledge and focused only on Medicare Part D. This new lecture provided broader information on drug cost-containment strategies for underserved patients of all ages, focusing on practical strategies prescribers can use to promote underserved patients' access to needed medications. This study adds to the literature by demonstrating 3 important findings.…”

“…18,19 These data were limited, however, to self-assessed knowledge acquisition related to Medicare Part D. The purpose of this study was to describe and systematically evaluate the impact of a lecture on improving prescribers' knowledge about OOP medication cost reduction strategies. The lecture focused on strategies to help underserved patients with their OOP prescription drug costs and was delivered by pharmacy students to health professional students and prescribers across disciplines.…”

“…18,22,23 These patient care models require that health care professionals work together effectively. However, evidence suggests that they do not always collaborate well together.…”

Promoting Interprofessional Collaboration: Pharmacy Students Teaching Current and Future Prescribers About Medicare Part D

“…12 To examine whether these pilot results could be replicated in more diverse sites, we expanded the program to 7 campuses, training selected pharmacy students from each of the 7 schools of pharmacy to deliver similar Part D lectures to additional groups of health professional trainees and physicians. The purpose of the present study was to describe and evaluate the impact of this statewide education program on learners' self-assessed knowledge of Medicare Part D, their awareness of Part D resources and medication cost containment strategies, their attitudes toward pharmacists, and their intention to collaborate with pharmacists in the future.…”