Teaching quality improvement concepts to pharmacy students using the Evidence-based Practice for Improving Quality (EPIQ) workshop

Dillon H Lee; Pamela V Mathura; Jody Shkrobot; Narmin Kassam; Khalid Aziz

doi:10.1016/j.cptl.2023.07.002

Teaching quality improvement concepts to pharmacy students using the Evidence-based Practice for Improving Quality (EPIQ) workshop

Curr Pharm Teach Learn. 2023 Aug;15(8):748-753. doi: 10.1016/j.cptl.2023.07.002. Epub 2023 Jul 18.

Authors

Dillon H Lee¹, Pamela V Mathura², Jody Shkrobot³, Narmin Kassam⁴, Khalid Aziz⁵

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, 2-35 Medical Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H1, Canada. Electronic address: dillon1@ualberta.ca.
² Alberta Health Services and University of Alberta Department of Medicine, 8440 112 Street, Edmonton, AB T6G 2B7, Canada. Electronic address: pam.mathura@ahs.ca.
³ Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, 3-205 Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada. Electronic address: shkrobot@ualberta.ca.
⁴ Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, 13-103 Clinical Science Building, 11350 - 83 Ave. NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada. Electronic address: nkassam@ualberta.ca.
⁵ Office of Lifelong Learning, University of Alberta; and Neonatologist, Stollery Children's Hospital, DTC5027 Royal Alexandra Hospital, 10240 Kingsway NW, Edmonton, AB T5H 3V9, Canada. Electronic address: khalid.aziz@ualberta.ca.

PMID: 37474356
DOI: 10.1016/j.cptl.2023.07.002

Abstract

Background and purpose: Despite the benefits of quality improvement (QI) training, there is a scarcity of information on QI teaching formats for undergraduate pharmacy education. The Evidence-based Practice for Improving Quality (EPIQ) workshop was evaluated as a teaching format for a group of multi-year undergraduate pharmacy students, assessing knowledge acquisition and learner reactions.

Educational activity and setting: Using a convergent mixed-method analysis, 10-item pre- and post-workshop multiple-choice questionnaires measured students' knowledge acquisition of foundational QI concepts. A six-item pre- and post-workshop survey and a voluntary post-workshop focus group evaluated students' attitudes towards QI training and the teaching format. Mann-Whitney U non-parametric test was used to analyze the quantitative data, while thematic analysis was applied to analyze the qualitative data.

Findings: Twenty-nine pharmacy students participated in the workshop. There was a statistically significant improvement in pharmacy students' QI knowledge before and after participating in the workshop (77% vs. 86%, P = .008). The evaluation of the EPIQ teaching format resulted in three important findings: (1) undergraduate pharmacy students identified a QI learning need; (2) the EPIQ workshop effectively provided foundational QI literacy for all pharmacy student years using a "learning by sharing" methodology and pharmacy-specific case studies; and (3) interested students may benefit from an experiential elective to apply QI techniques.

Summary: The perceived value of QI training for pharmacy students using the EPIQ workshop was demonstrated: students expressed an interest in lifelong learning and a desire to pursue QI projects at school, during a clinical rotation, or at work.

Keywords: Curriculum development; Evidence-based practice; Healthcare quality improvement; Pharmacy education; Pharmacy students; Quality improvement; Team-based learning.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Curriculum
Evidence-Based Practice
Humans
Learning
Quality Improvement
Students, Pharmacy*