Pharmacy Students’ Perception of the Content and Delivery of Drug Information Training: A Mixed-Methods Study

Objective To explore pharmacy students' perception of the content and pedagogical strategies used for the delivery of drug information (DI) training. Methods An explanatory sequential mixed-methods study was conducted among BSc Pharmacy and PharmD students at the College of Pharmacy, Qatar University (QU-CPH). The first phase consisted of a quantitative cross-sectional survey using a 34-item pretested questionnaire. The Donabedian framework guided the development of the questionnaire. This was followed by a phenomenological qualitative phase that was conducted based on the result of the first phase. Descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis were used for data analyses. Results The completion and usable rates were 88.7% (102/115) and 91.2% (93/102) respectively. The online resources used for the delivery of DI and the progressive structuring from year 1-4 were reported to be adequate by a majority of the respondents (93.55%). Ninety percent of students opined that the use of simulation-based assessments improved their integration of the theoretical and practical aspects, and their preparedness to apply the DI concepts in practice. However, 20% of the participants reported inconsistency of the DI curricular content with some practices encountered during their experiential learning exposures. Themes identified from the focus group discussion (FGDs) included: the perceived value and skills acquired from the DI content, availability and currency of DI resources, students' preparedness, curricular structuring of DI content, reflection on and recommendations to improve DI coverage and delivery. Conclusion Curricular structuring of the DI content across varieties of relevant undergraduate pharmacy courses from the lower to higher professional years, and its focus on progressive development of DI-related competencies appeared to have enhanced the students' perception of the relevance, appropriateness and utility of the content, resources and pedagogical strategies used for the delivery of DI education at the undergraduate level.