Evaluation of a Multimedia Case-History Simulation Program for Pharmacy Students

Objective. The purpose of this study was to validate the effectiveness of a Multimedia Case History Program (MCHP) designed for pharmacy students to simulate a case-history taking session. Methods. Seventy-nine undergraduate pharmacy students used an MCHP that presented an asthmatic or diabetic patient. Of these, 52 students also volunteered to interview a researcher in a face-to-face simulation of a patient case featured in the MCHP, but not the same case they previously had been allocated. Students completed patient profiles and pharmaceutical care plans for evaluation. Results. In nearly all aspects, students produced significantly more complete patient profiles using the MCHP than they did from the face-to-face simulation. However, the pharmaceutical care plans produced were of a similar quality whether based on the MCHP or on a face-to-face interview. Conclusion. The MCHP is a potentially useful system in supplementing a clinical pharmacy course that could provide a means of case history taking without the need for interviewing patients in a hospital. Further work is needed to identify the factors that might influence performance using a program of this type and also to compare the MCHP directly to real patient interviews.