Background. The role-play for pharmacological education (RPPE) provides a practical training focused on the basis of drug therapy. Learning achievement in RPPE, however, has not been researched precisely. In this study, we assessed the learning achievement in RPPE by using a self-assessment rubric.
Methods. Participants: Fourth grade medical students at Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University who took the online RPPE (oRPPE) in 2022. Measurements: Self-assessment rubric was presented to participants on the first day of the course. Four following categories were scored on a five-point scale: I) Understanding: a. health problems of the case in charge; b. drug therapy of the case in charge; c. role-play performed by the others, II) Preparation, III) Performance and IV) Discussion and dialogue. Students were directed to assess themselves during preparation and performance of oRPPE. Data collection and analysis: Scores were collected after course completion. All data are presented as the mean ± standard error of the mean (S.E.M.).
Results. The self-assessment showed high scores in the following 3 categories: I) Understanding (a. 4.10 ± 0.06; b. 4.10 ± 0.06; c. 3.94 ± 0.07), II) Preparation (4.32 ± 0.06) and III) Performance (4.21 ± 0.07). These results indicate that RPPE could provide basic practice for drug therapy. It also implies that specification of expected outcomes through rubric beforehand might be useful to guide self- and peer-learning during preparation and performance. On the other hand, the score in IV) Discussion and dialogue (3.75 ± 0.09) might reflect difficulties to discuss the whole process of clinical practice in each case, which requires advanced professional competencies.
Conclusion. The self-assessment rubric is a useful tool for assessing achievement of learning in RPPE.
