Poster session 4D (sub-theme 2.2) 4:15 - 4:30 PM

Tracks
Track 5
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
4:15 PM - 4:30 PM
Level 1 Foyer & Cockle Bay Room, PARKROYAL Darling Harbour

Overview

Poster session (sub-theme 2.2) - 2 minute oral presentations


Speaker

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Dr Grace Pearson
Clinical Lecturer in Ageing Education
University of Bristol

Curriculum development in geriatric medicine for pharmacists – ensuring a pharmacy workforce fit for the ageing population

4:15 PM - 4:17 PM

Abstract

Introduction: Global population ageing is a defining challenge of our time; the global population aged 65 years and over is projected to increase by 120% between 2019-2050. This necessitates a healthcare workforce equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to care for older people with complex needs. The World Health Organization advocate for high-quality undergraduate health professions education in geriatric medicine as a means of anticipating these pressures. Yet, it remains that geriatric medicine is frequently under-represented in health professions education, the reasons for which are multi-faceted, but include lack of specialty- and profession-specific guidelines.
Methods: Therefore, our aim was to understand the global landscape of geriatric medicine education in pharmacy, with a view to developing a recommended undergraduate curriculum to guide and encourage evidence-based educational practice. We propose to undertake this curriculum development in three stages, using established methods previously employed in national medical curricular development:
1. We will establish current practice in undergraduate pharmacy education in geriatric medicine by undertaking a systematic review of the published literature, and a survey of UK pharmacy schools on the content, methods, and duration of teaching on ageing and related topics.
2. We will undertake several curriculum mapping exercises: firstly, of the General Pharmaceutical Council standards for the initial education and training of pharmacists to existing undergraduate geriatric medicine curricula, to identify Learning Outcomes (LOs) that are applicable to pharmacy. These LOs will then be mapped to the results of our national teaching survey, in a gap analysis identifying which areas are most and least commonly taught.
3. These curriculum maps will be used to develop a blueprint for a new pharmacy-specific undergraduate curriculum in geriatrics. This blueprint will be shared with key stakeholders, including members of the public, in a consensus panel to reach agreement on LOs for inclusion in the final curriculum.

Biography

Grace Pearson is a qualified doctor who graduated from Bristol Medical School with distinction in 2017, and now works as a Specialty Doctor in Geriatric Medicine. Grace completed her doctoral research at the University of Bristol, in the field of undergraduate geriatric medicine education. Since completing her PhD she has been working as a Clinical Lecturer in Ageing Education at the University of Bristol (Lead for the Complex Medicine in Older People clerkship for Bristol medical students), and an Adjunct Lecturer in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Zimbabwe. She is an education/training representative for the British Geriatrics Society, and co-founder of the Geriatric Medicine Educators Collaborative and the Zimbabwe Geriatrics Network. Her achievements in educational scholarship have been recognised with MAcadMEd and FHEA.
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Assoc Prof Subish Palaian
Associate Professor in Pharmacy Practice
Ajman University

Can cinemeducation influence pharmacy students’ perception of the affective dimensions of patient safety: A mixed method study

4:17 PM - 4:19 PM

Abstract

Introduction: Medicines and invasive medical devices are being increasingly used among the population worldwide and pharmacists are expected to be knowledgeable in these areas. Curriculum coverage on pharmacovigilance is minimal and often does not provide an in-depth examination of human suffering due to the harmful effects of medicines and invasive medical devices. The present study aims to assess pharmacy students’ perception of affective dimensions of patient safety after a cinemeducation module and assess their feedback on the module.
Methods: A pre-post single-arm study is being conducted among 7th semester (9 semesters programme) Bachelor in pharmacy students (n=37) at Ajman University, United Arab Emirates, currently undertaking a 3 credit hour course on pharmacovigilance and pharmacoepidemiology. During the cinemeducation session students watch movie clips related to patient safety and engage in group work and facilitated discussions. Emphasis is placed on the affective domain and the impact of adverse effects on patients, their families, and society. The pre-post perception change will be assessed using a 10-point Likert-type questionnaire, and feedback obtained quantitatively (using a 10-point Likert questionnaire) and qualitatively (using in-depth interviews). Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Kendall correlation will be used as appropriate at alpha=0.05. Thematic analysis will be used to assess qualitative feedback.
Results: The study is currently underway, and the results will provide the total perception scores pre- and post-intervention, the difference between the pre-post scores, and the association between the scores and student demography. Further, the correlation between demographic variables and individual statements will also be available. The total feedback scores and scores for individual statements will be obtained. The findings of the qualitative interviews will be presented.
Conclusion: The conclusion will be based on the study findings. Further, recommendations will also be made based on the study findings.

Biography

Dr. Subish Palaian is an Associate Professor at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Ajman University, United Arab Emirates. He is also currently the coordinator for the office of experiential learning at his institution. He obtained his PhD from the University Sains Malaysia, Malaysia in 2010. His research experience is mainly related to Pharmacovigilance and Drug Safety. In the past, he worked in two different colleges in Nepal. He was also Chief Pharmacist at tertiary care teaching hospitals. He has experience in teaching medical and pharmacy students. A Pharmacist by profession, he has a keen interest in promoting rational use of medicines. He is a peer reviewer of several journals including PLoS One, Drug, Healthcare and Patient Safety, BMC Health Services Research, Integrated Pharmacy Research and Practice, Journal of Public Health, etc. He is also a FAIMER fellow from PSG FAIMER Regional Institute, Coimbatore, India.
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Mr Samuel Shepherd
Education and Bank Pharmacist Team Leader and Student Coordinator
Monash Health

On the clock: Time implications for pharmacist assessors for medical intern prescribing entrustable professional activities

4:19 PM - 4:21 PM

Abstract

Introduction: Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) are structured, observable units of daily work used internationally to assess the ability of a learner to complete a variety of workplace tasks . The Australian Medical Council is introducing EPA assessments for first and second-year graduate doctors. Recognising pharmacists' role as medication experts, pharmacists were proposed as one of the health professions appropriate to assess medical interns prescribing EPAs. While EPAs are popular and have been studied extensively, this is the first reported instance of interprofessional EPA assessment in health professional education. This pilot study investigates the time impact on pharmacists' workloads of conducting these EPA assessments.
Methods: Six units (across medicine, emergency, surgery and mental health) within a multisite hospital network participated in a pilot study where pharmacists assessed medical interns’ undertaking prescribing EPAs. Medical interns could approach either pharmacists or medical staff to assess prescribing EPAs. Assessors completed Microsoft Forms at the time of the EPA, including rating level of entrustability, providing qualitative feedback, assigning case complexity based on clinical judgement and recording time taken for EPA assessment and feedback. Data collection was conducted between May to October 2024. Descriptive statistics were performed using Microsoft Excel.
Results: Ten pharmacist assessors completed 28 assessments over 6-months; a median of 1.5 (range 1-6) assessments per pharmacist . The median time taken for each assessment was 10 minutes (range 3-21 minutes). Five EPAs were reported as high-complexity cases. Low-complexity cases took a median of 15 minutes (range 7-21 minutes), medium-complexity 10 minutes (range 3-20) and high-complexity 15 minutes (range 10-20).
Conclusion: Pharmacists typically required less than 15 minutes per EPA assessment and completed a median of 1.5 assessments in 6-months, indicating a feasible workload. Future studies should evaluate the impact of the complete roll out to determine scalability and sustainability for the pharmacy workforce.

Biography

Samuel Shepherd is an experienced pharmacist and the Education and Bank Pharmacist Team Leader and Student Coordinator for Monash Health, where he co-leads the AdPha Resident Training Program. With a strong clinical pharmacist background from many roles including as the haematology pharmacist and the Medication Safety Pharmacist in charge of Alaris Smart Pumps system, Samuel fosters a learning environment that encourages both personal and professional growth among peers and pre-registration pharmacists. Samuel's involvement as a Pharmacy Clinical Educator allows him to integrate evidence-based practices and personalised mentorship to prepare healthcare professionals for high-quality patient care.
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Mrs Alison Etukakpan
Phd Candidate, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science Education
Monash University

The candidate core concepts of pharmacotherapy education in Australia

4:21 PM - 4:23 PM

Abstract

Introduction: Pharmacotherapy education faces challenges from rapidly evolving therapeutic knowledge and the need to bridge pharmacology concepts with clinical applications.. While core concepts—fundamental, enduring, and discipline-specific ideas—enhance learning across many disciplines, pharmacotherapy lacks systematically identified core concepts. This study aimed to generate candidate core concepts for pharmacotherapy education in Australia.
Methods: A qualitative multimethod approach was employed through: 1) Document analysis (text mining) of pharmacotherapy textbooks using Python Natural Language Processing Toolkit and Generative Artificial Intelligence interpretation; 2) Virtual brainstorming sessions with 10 pharmacotherapy educators from seven Australian pharmacy schools; and 3) Expert consultation for output refinement. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis supported by NVivo.
Results: Initial text mining (Step 1) yielded 30 terms, while expert brainstorming ( Step 2) generated 52 additional terms. After consolidation and removal of duplicates, 49 unique terms emerged as potential core concepts, organized into four themes:
1. Evidence-based pharmacotherapy (9 concepts) including patient factors, preferences and values.
2. Quality use of medicines in pharmacotherapy (17 concepts) including principles of stewardship
3. Sciences underpinning pharmacotherapy (10 concepts) on comprehensive knowledge for application of pharmacological and pathophysiological key concepts
4. Skills/activities that enable pharmacotherapy(13 concepts) including clinical reasoning and therapeutic decision-making
Expert refinement (Step 3) of these potential core concepts is ongoing.
Conclusion: This preliminary study is part of a biphasic mixed-method research project aiming to identify and generate consensus on core concepts in pharmacotherapy education through an international panel of pharmacy educators. Identification of core concepts is largely an iterative and expert-driven process. The identified concepts will provide pharmacy educators with pedagogical tools to assess conceptual attainment, improve teaching practices, and support curriculum design.

Biography

Alison Etukakpan is a Pharmacist and PhD candidate in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science Education at Monash University, where she also serves as a Casual Teaching Associate. Her educational research interests are on the core concepts of pharmacotherapy education to promote knowledge retention and conceptual understanding in pharmacy. Prior to her doctoral studies, she served as the Educational Partnerships and Projects Manager at the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), where she led initiatives for pharmaceutical education transformation across WHO regions. With publications in journals such as Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy and Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy, her work has significantly contributed to addressing inequities in pharmaceutical education and policy development in pharmacy education
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Dr Jessica Pace
Lecturer
The University of Sydney

An integrated pharmaceutical chemistry laboratory on suspension dosage formulations with pharmacist role-play incorporating patient counselling, supply, and product recall

4:23 PM - 4:25 PM

Abstract

Introduction: Basic training of pharmacists includes knowledge and application, of fundamental scientific concepts to enable effective and competent clinical pharmacy practice. This often focuses on building fundamental scientific knowledge at the start of a pharmacy degree, which comes at the expense of student satisfaction; many students feel that there is too much emphasis on science and not enough on practice. One way to alleviate this problem is through integrated curricula that combine science with practice. At our institution, a new Bachelor of Pharmacy curricula was developed incorporating science and practice integration throughout the degree program. We therefore developed a new educational activity that integrates a pharmaceutical chemistry laboratory (team-based learning) with pharmacist role-playing (simulation) that involves patient counselling, supply, and product recall elements.
Methods: Students prepared three paracetamol suspension formulations then measured and drew conclusions on the stability of each formulation when select ingredients were missing. Each student then undertook a role-play where they were required to counsel a parent requesting paracetamol for their child, supply the medicine, and then undertake a recall of the product and explain why it was recalled. Students’ knowledge was tested through four multiple choice questions in their end of semester exam.
Results: Collectively, the students’ results demonstrated that removing viscosity-enhancing ingredients from the formulations caused the particles to settle faster. For the role-play exercise, just over half of students made at least one mistake with some supplying the wrong medicine or recommending the wrong dose. The exam results showed students understood the role and impact of key ingredients in a suspension formulation and could make general over-the-counter supply recommendations based on the scenario of the role play.
Conclusion: This integrated lab-based counselling practice effectively integrates pharmaceutical chemistry with practice, allowing students to apply scientific knowledge in the context of supplying an over-the-counter medicine.

Biography

Dr Jessica Pace is an associate lecturer in the Sydney Pharmacy School, University of Sydney, a registered pharmacist with experience in both hospital and community practice and a Pharmacy Board of Australia oral examiner and exams subject matter expert for the Australian Pharmacy Council. Her research interests are in pharmacy education, learning and assessment and health policy (using empirical bioethics to find practical solutions to morally complex problems relating to medicines access and regulation).
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