Background: Pharmacy education standards highlight the importance of effective communication skills and the use of technology to provide patient care. As technology evolves, pharmacists have opportunities to communicate in different and broader ways. Objective: The objectives of this study were 3-fold: to evaluate student ability to counsel via telepharmacy, to determine if there is a difference in students’ abilities to counsel face-to-face or via telepharmacy, and to determine students’ perceptions regarding patient consultation via telepharmacy. Methods: Professional pharmacy students completed a pharmaceutical care laboratory activity focused on communication via telepharmacy. Comparisons were made between students’ ability to provide patient consultation via telepharmacy and face-to-face utilizing a faculty-developed rubric. Students also completed a questionnaire on their perception of utilizing telepharmacy technology to provide patient consultation. Results: Eighty-two second-year professional pharmacy students participated in the study. Results showed students are able to successfully provide patient consultation via telepharmacy without prior practice; however, there was a statistically significant difference between students’ ability to counsel face-to-face and via telepharmacy (P < .001). Overall, students were more successful at providing face-to-face consultation than via telepharmacy, and students who were first assessed on their ability to counsel face-to-face perceived a greater difference between telepharmacy and face-to-face consultation (P < .05). Conclusion: Student-perceived differences between the 2 means of consultation and demonstrated a difference in their ability to counsel via telepharmacy and face-to-face. It appears that, when evaluating the need to teach professional pharmacy students how to provide patient consultation via telepharmacy, additional exposure to telepharmacy technology could be beneficial by enhancing student comfort and proficiency.
MackellarAAshcroftDBellDJamesDMarriottJ. Identifying criteria for the assessment of pharmacy students’ communication skills with patients. Am J Pharm Educ. 2007;71(3):Article 50.
2.
KimberlinCL. Communicating with Patients: skills assessment in US colleges of pharmacy. Am J Pharm Educ. 2006;70(3):Article 67.
3.
YedidiaMJGillespieCCKachurE. Effect of communications training on medical student performance. JAMA. 2003;290:1157-1165.
4.
AspegrenK. BEME Guide 2: Teaching and learning communication skills in medicine—a review with quality grading of articles. Med Teach. 1999;21:562-570.
5.
Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. Accreditation standards and guidelines for the professional program in pharmacy leading to the doctor of pharmacy degree. Chicago, IL: Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education; 2011. https://www.acpe-accredit.org/pdf/ACPE_Revised_PharmD_Standards_Adopted_Jan152006.pdf. Accessed September 15, 2014.
6.
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Educational outcomes 2013. Alexandria, VA: Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education; 2013. http://www.aacp.org/documents/CAPEoutcomes071213.pdf. Accessed September 15, 2014.
7.
PetersonCDAndersonHC. The North Dakota telepharmacy project: restoring and retaining pharmacy services in rural communities. J Pharm Technol. 2004;20:28-39.
8.
FriesnerDScottD. Exploring the formation of patient satisfaction in rural community telepharmacies. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2009;49:509-518.
9.
SeifertCFVeroninMAKretschmerTD. The training of a telepharmacist: addressing the needs of rural west Texas. Am J Pharm Educ. 2004;68(3):Article 60.
10.
BuringSKirbyJConradW. A structured approach for teaching students to counsel self-care patients. Am J Pharm Educ. 2007;71(1):Article 8.
11.
AghaZSchapiraRPurushottamLMcNuttGRoterD. Patient satisfaction with physician-patient communication during telemedicine. Telemed J E Health. 2009;15:830-839.
12.
SchmidtKMoninJ. Demonstration of facial communication of emotion through telehospice videophone contact. Telemed J E Health. 2011;17(5):399-401.
13.
RothwellEEllingtonLPlanalpSCrouchB. Exploring challenges to telehealth communication by specialists in poison information. Qual Health Res. 2011;22: 67-75.
14.
PaluckEGreenLFrankishJFieldingDHaverkampB. Assessment of communication barriers in community pharmacies. Eval Health Prof. 2003;26:380-403.
15.
ShahBChewningB. Conceptualizing and measuring pharmacist-patient communication: a review of published studies. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2006;2:153-185.
16.
MesquitaALyraDBritoGBalisa-RochaBAquiarPde Almeida NetoA. Developing communications skills in pharmacy: a systematic review of simulated patient methods. Patient Educ Couns. 2010;78:143-148.
