Practical training reduces aspiration-linked gaps in pressure ulcer education for pharmacy students

Abstract

Expectations for pharmacists' contribution and involvement in pressure ulcer pharmacotherapy are growing. This study aimed to not only clarify the effects of incorporating practical training on the use of topical medications into clinical preparatory education but also examine the relationship between students' aspiration—or lack thereof—to pursue a career as a pharmacist. The percentage of positive responses to the questionnaire survey on knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward pressure ulcer treatment was significantly higher after the lecture than before and highest after the practical training. In addition, students who aspired to become pharmacists tended to provide a higher percentage of positive responses after the lecture. However, the gap between aspiring and non-aspiring pharmacists tended to narrow after practical training. These results suggest that incorporating practical training on pressure ulcer treatment into lectures improves students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward its treatment. Including practical training in pressure ulcer education may compensate for the difference in the educational effect of lectures between students who aspire to become pharmacists and those who do not, thereby improving the educational effect for the latter.