Transforming virtual pharmacy simulation into drug information course in the pharmacy curriculum

Abstract Background Drug information training is restricted to pharmacy students due to the lack of training sites. Drug information simulation needs manpower and is time-consuming for the arrangement. Virtual simulation is widely accepted by numerous pharmacy schools and plays a major role in training students for various courses in the pharmacy curriculum. However, the usefulness of virtual simulation in drug information training is yet to be established. Objective To compare the student success and perceptions of virtual versus live simulation in providing drug information. Methods A cross-over study design was used to compare the student performances and perception between virtual and live simulation. A total of one hundred and forty-nine students consented to participate in the study. They were randomly allocated, with 75 assigned to the virtual simulation group and 74 to the live simulation group for exercise 1. Then the students crossed over into virtual and live simulation for exercise 2. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire consisting of ten items was developed and validated to assess their perception after completing exercises. Simple logistic regression was used to compare the students' success rate and the mean value of students' responses was compared using an independent student t-test. Results There was no observed significant difference in Student success rate between virtual and live simulation in both exercises 1 and 2. Meanwhile, students expressed a significantly higher confidence level (p = 0.000) when dealing with virtual patients as it reflected in their achieved grades regarding the identification of the background of the requestor and the nature of the drug information question during exercise 1. However, students' responses to the item related to the confidence level had no significant difference in exercise 2 (p = 0.753). Further, there were, no significant differences between live and virtual simulation in terms of student perception of the remaining tasks in both exercises. Also, the student performances were comparable between virtual and live simulation in exercise 2. Conclusion Virtual simulation was useful in training students for drug information practice in community pharmacies. Students perceived virtual simulation as better than live simulation.