[Evaluation of simulation-based training program intended to improve interprofessional communication skills of community pharmacy and general medicine students]

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this work is to assess the impact of a simulation session on the ability of pharmacy and medicine students in general practice to communicate in the resolution of patient-facing situations.

Methods: The evaluation of the impact of the session on the representation of the professions used a questionnaire to be completed before and after the session by the students. The evaluation of the impact of the session on the perception of communication and associated skills was based on an audio recording of the debriefings, which, after transcription and thematic analysis, was used as a preliminary analysis for the drafting of a questionnaire proposed the following year. This questionnaire focused on the issues of interprofessional communication and on the seminar process.

Results: During the 2018 and 2019 seminars, 518 students attended, 39% were pharmacy students (n=201) and 61% were medical students (n=317). The majority of medical students initially responded that physician-pharmacist communication was confraternal and rare. More pharmacy students felt that the quality of the physician-pharmacist relationship was poor. However, there was a marked improvement for all students on this aspect of communication after the seminar. Both groups also generally agreed that this relationship could be improved.

Conclusions: The evaluation shows that an interprofessional simulation program improves the ability of pharmacy and general practice students to communicate in patient-facing situations.

Keywords: Communication interprofessionnelle; Community pharmacy; Formation interprofessionnelle; Formation par la simulation; Interprofessional communication; Interprofessional training; Médecine générale; Pharmacie d’officine; Primary care; Simulation training; Soins premiers.