Dataset Information

Impact of a focussed teaching programme on practical prescribing skills among final year medical students.

ABSTRACT:

What is already known about this subject

Medication errors, and particularly prescribing errors, are common in UK hospitals. Junior doctors make the majority of prescribing errors. Deficiencies in prescribing education and training have been closely linked to the high frequency of medication errors.

What this study adds

Focussed prescribing teaching can lead to an improvement in prescribing ability. Prescribing confidence can be significantly improved through education. Education is insufficient alone in eradicating prescribing errors.

Aim

To assess the impact of prescribing teaching on final year medical students.

Methods

Students randomly allocated to two hospitals completed a prescribing assessment. Prescribing teaching was delivered to the intervention group while no additional teaching was provided for the control group. All students then completed a second prescribing assessment.

Results

Teaching improved the assessment score: mean assessment 2 vs. 1, 70% vs. 62%, P= 0.007; allergy documentation: 98% vs. 74%, P= 0.0001; and confidence. However, 30% of prescriptions continued to include prescribing errors.

Conclusion

Medical students make significant errors in prescribing. Teaching improves ability and confidence but is insufficient alone in eradicating errors.

SUBMITTER: Sandilands EA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3018023 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Impact of a focussed teaching programme on practical prescribing skills among final year medical students.

Sandilands Euan A EA Reid Karen K Shaw Laura L Bateman D Nicholas DN Webb David J DJ Dhaun Neeraj N Kluth David C DC

British journal of clinical pharmacology 20110101 1

<h4>What is already known about this subject</h4>Medication errors, and particularly prescribing errors, are common in UK hospitals. Junior doctors make the majority of prescribing errors. Deficiencies in prescribing education and training have been closely linked to the high frequency of medication errors.<h4>What this study adds</h4>Focussed prescribing teaching can lead to an improvement in prescribing ability. Prescribing confidence can be significantly improved through education. Education ...[more]

PMID: 21143498

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundSimulation training has potential in developing clinical skills in pre-clinical medical students, but there is little evidence on its effectiveness.MethodsTwenty four first year graduate entry preclinical medical students participated in this crossover study. They were divided into two groups, one performed chest examination on each other and the other used SimMan. The groups then crossed over. A pretest, midtest and post-test was conducted in which the students answered the same questionnaire with ten questions on knowledge, and confidence levels rated using a 5 point Likert scale. They were assessed formatively using the OSCE marking scheme. At the end of the session, 23 students completed a feedback questionnaire. Data was analyzed using one-way ANOVA and independent t-test.ResultsWhen the two groups were compared, there was no significant difference in the pretest and the post-test scores on knowledge questions whereas the midtest scores increased significantly (P< 0.001) with the group using SimMan initially scoring higher. A significant increase in the test scores was seen between the pre-test and the mid-test for this group (P=0.009). There was a similar albeit non significant trend between the midtest and the post-test for the group using peer examination initially.Mean confidence ratings increased from the pretest to midtest and then further in the post-test for both groups. Their confidence ratings increased significantly in differentiating between normal and abnormal signs [Group starting with SimMan, between pretest and midtest (P= 0.01) and group starting with peer examination, between midtest and post-test (P=0.02)]. When the students' ability to perform examination on each other for both groups was compared, there was a significant increase in the scores of the group starting with SimMan (P=0.007).ConclusionsThis pilot study demonstrated a significant improvement in the students' knowledge and competence to perform chest examination after simulation with an increase in the student's perceived levels of confidence. Feedback from the students was extremely positive. SimMan acts as a useful adjunct to teach clinical skills to preclinical medical students by providing a simulated safe environment and thus aids in bridging the gap between the preclinical and clinical years in medical undergraduate education.

Dataset Information

Impact of a focussed teaching programme on practical prescribing skills among final year medical students.

What is already known about this subject

What this study adds

Aim

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Impact of a focussed teaching programme on practical prescribing skills among final year medical students.

Similar Datasets

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