Application of opioid analgesia concepts in a third-year pharmacy student skills laboratory on three campuses

Pharmacy Student Education Related to Opioids: A Scoping Review of the Literature

OBJECTIVES

This scoping review explores and assesses the extent of the literature on the current state of opioid-related training and education of student pharmacists and identifies areas for further research to improve the preparedness of future pharmacists in managing care for patients using opioid medications. This review also examines and maps the literature as it relates to the 4 substance misuse educational content areas (legal/ethical issues; screening, treatment, and stigma; pharmacology and toxicology; and psychosocial aspects) recommended by the 2020 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Special Committee on Substance Use and Pharmacy Education.

FINDINGS

A systematic literature search was conducted to identify articles reporting opioid-related educational and training initiatives for student pharmacists in the United States through May 2023. A total of 52 articles were included in the review. Nearly 40% of the included studies reported content that addressed all 4 recommended content areas, with only 8 addressing only 1 or 2 content areas. The majority of studies included students in the third year of their pharmacy program, with many reporting interprofessional educational initiatives. Assessments of opioid-related knowledge and attitudes, satisfaction with the activity, and interprofessional attitudes and competencies were reported.

SUMMARY

Most of the reported activities addressed at least 3 of the recommended educational content areas. However, relatively few reported sufficient details to support the replication of the activities and there is a need to evaluate the effectiveness of these educational initiatives with more vigorous research methodology to determine their potential effectiveness.

A Systematic Review of Palliative Care Content in the Doctor of Pharmacy Curriculum

Objective. To describe the methods of teaching and evaluating palliative care experiences for pharmacy students.Findings. A literature search retrieved 971 reports, from which 26 studies met all of study criteria. Educational interventions concerning palliative care included didactic courses, flipped classrooms, advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs), workshops, and seminars. Total direct hours of education in palliative care ranged from 1-200. Seven (27%) focused experiences were reported as required, while nine (35%) were reported as elective. The majority (n=14, 54%) of studies measured pharmacy students' confidence, attitudes, or perceptions as the main outcome, and of those most studies reported an improvement. Five (19%) studies reported on interprofessional experiences in palliative care conducted in the United States, and four (15%) studies reported on similar experiences conducted outside the United States. When reported, most experiences were developed for students to complete prior to beginning their APPE year. All of the included studies used a non-randomized design.Summary. This review suggests a palliative care experience for pharmacy students should be interprofessional, occur during the year prior to APPEs, and measure skills-based outcomes.