A systematic review of the educational effects of early clinical exposure and the current status of pharmaceutical education research in Japan

Abstract

Although systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been published in medical education fields overseas, educational research in pharmaceutical education has been limited in Japan. In this study, we conducted a systematic review and a meta-analysis of early clinical exposures, for which there has been a relatively significant accumulation of studies that have measured its effects on educational practice. This study aimed to verify the effects of early clinical exposure and the quality of education and research in the field of pharmaceutical education. The following keywords were used to search for articles: “faculty of pharmaceutical sciences”, “early exposure learning”, and “early clinical exposure”. The search yielded six documents. After calculating the effect size (ratio) for improvement in learning motivation, it was evident that early clinical exposure learning exerted a positive effect on students’ motivation to learn. However, most of the studies focused on first- and second-year students pre-2014. Collectively, the articles featured several research methods and considerations, but the findings regarding pharmaceutical education and research suggest that currently, there is an insufficient accumulation to warrant meta-analysis.