Whilst curriculum revision is commonplace, whole degree transformation is less so. In this paper we discuss the rationale, design and implementation of a unique pharmacy program by a research-intensive faculty. The new Monash pharmacy curriculum, which had its first intake in 2017, was built using a range of key innovations that aimed to produce graduates that demonstrate key conceptual understanding and all the skills required to deliver world-best patient outcomes. The key elements of the re-design are outlined and include the process and principles developed, as well as key features such as a student-centred individualised program of development arranged around specific, authentic tasks for each skill and earlier enhanced experiential placements where students become proficient in entrustable professional activities. It is hoped the dissemination of this process, as well as the lessons learnt in the process, will be useful to others looking to transform a health curriculum.

Objective. The ability of pharmacy students to self-regulate and reflect on knowledge and skills is important as proficient self-assessment skills guide learning strategies and prompt students to bridge their knowledge gaps. The objective was to determine how well third-year pharmacy students self-assess, to explore the rationales behind their self-assessments and determine whether there is a correlation between self-assessment accuracy and academic performance. Methods. A quasi-experimental one-group pre-/post-test design was conducted with third-year pharmacy students. Examiner grades, student self-assessment grades, comparative reports and end-of-semester grades were collected. Students were categorised into tertiles based on academic performance for data analysis. Paired t-tests, Pearson’s r and percentage agreements were conducted to investigate self-assessment accuracy. Correlational statistical tests were implemented to examine the relationships between self-assessment accuracy and academic performance. Results. 162 third-year pharmacy students were included. On average, students demonstrated poor self-evaluation skills and underestimated themselves by 4.9%. Lower performing students were generally overconfident in evaluating their performance. There was no significant correlation between self-assessment accuracy and academic performance on the subsequent end-of-semester examination question. Conclusion. On average students tended to underestimate their academic performance. Further research on self-assessment can help understand how students think about their performance which may help to improve education methods such as inclusion of reflective practices after case-based activities.

Background: Early identification and treatment of mental illnesses is imperative for optimal patient outcomes. Pharmacists may play an important role in mental healthcare through the provision of screening services for mental illnesses. Objective: (s): : To systematically review the impact of pharmacist-led mental illness screening on clinical or patient-reported outcomes and identify and report any follow-up or referral systems used in pharmacist-led screening interventions for mental illnesses. Methods: A systematic review was conducted by searching MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase and APA PsycInfo via EBSCOhost from inception to 9 March 2023 to identify studies involving pharmacist-led screening interventions for mental illnesses. Data was collected on the mental illness in question, setting and population characteristics, screening tools used, clinical or patient-reported outcomes, and follow-up and referral systems reported. Results: Twenty six studies were identified that related to screening for mental illnesses, such as depressive disorders and substance use disorders. There were a variety of study designs, including uncontrolled studies (n = 23), pre-post studies (n = 2) and randomised controlled trials (n = 1). Screening was conducted in different settings, with most studies conducted in community pharmacies (n = 21/26, 87.8 %) and focusing on depression screening (n = 12/26, 46.1 %). A range of follow-up and referral methods to other healthcare professionals were reported, including verbal (n = 3/26, 11.5 %), both written and verbal (n = 3/26, 11.5 %), communications via electronic health record (n = 2/26, 7.7 %) and written (n = 1/26, 3.8 %). Conclusions: Pharmacists provide screening for a variety of mental illnesses in different settings. Various referral methods and follow-up pathways may be utilised for post-screening patient care. However, current evidence is insufficient to establish improvements in early detection, treatment, or outcomes. Further large, well-designed studies are required to support the role of pharmacists in mental illness screening, provide evidence on the impact of pharmacist-led mental illness screening services and inform the most effective follow up and referral methods.

Pharmacists play a crucial role in reducing medication errors, identifying 30-70 % of medication-ordering errors. However, they can also contribute to dispensing errors. Interruptions and distractions during dispensing have been known to account for approximately 9.4 % of these errors, with reported occurrences of every two to six min. To review existing knowledge on the impact of interruptions and distractions in pharmacy practice, including their frequency, types, and previously implemented or proposed strategies for mitigation. This scoping review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and was reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. A comprehensive search of Ovid Medline, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, and Scopus databases was conducted on June 26, 2024, November 13, 2024, and January 16, 2025. Studies were selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Descriptive statistics summarised study characteristics, while content analysis identified common types of interruptions and distractions, their frequency, impact, and the interventions used or recommended. After removing duplicates, 7884 studies proceeded to title and abstract screening. Following the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 141 full-text studies were assessed, and 51 were included in the review. Pharmacists and technicians experience interruptions and distractions at varying rates, from less than 5 to more than 20 times per hour. The most common external interruptions and distractions were phone calls, face-to-face inquiries from consumers, as well as interruptions and distractions from shop staff who needed to interrupt the pharmacist to manage customer queries that were out of their scope. Internal interruptions included self-initiated task-switching, checking on staff, and non-work-related web browsing. These disruptions primarily impacted the dispensing process, pharmacists' workload, performance, well-being, and patient wait times. Few interventions have been implemented, falling into three main categories: facility modification (adjusting the physical environment), system modification (altering workflow processes), and communication adjustments (limiting direct access to pharmacists during dispensing). There are both limited reported interventions in the pharmacy workplace, and a lack of educational initiatives at the university setting, to mitigate the impact of interruptions and distractions. These findings highlight the need to establish better foundational dispensing habits and develop methods to reduce the frequency of directly accessing the pharmacist during dispensing. Avoiding having a single pharmacist on duty at any given time and clearly defining the roles of different pharmacists during various shifts may be effective ways to reduce dispensing errors.

We explored the use of a video-based reflective design in preparing first-year pharmacy students for their Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in Victoria, Australia. This involved pre-workshop activities (a recording of themselves simulating the pharmacist responding to a simple primary care problem, written reflection, review of the OSCE video examples and pre-workshop survey); workshop activities (peer feedback on videos) and post-workshop activities (summative MCQ quiz and post-workshop survey). These activities took place three weeks before their OSCE. A mixed-method study design was employed with quantitative and qualitative analyses of the surveys and a focus group. A total of 137 students (77.4%) completed the pre- and post-workshop surveys, and ten students participated in the focus group. More student participants (54%) reported feeling prepared for the OSCE post-workshop than pre-workshop (13%). The majority (92%) agreed that filming, watching and reflecting on their video allowed them to learn and improve on their skills for the OSCE. The regression analysis found that video recording submissions and written reflections correlated positively with student OSCE performances, and the video-based reflective design learning experience was perceived to be beneficial in multiple ways. Thematic analysis of the focus group data revealed that students acquired metacognitive skills through the self-assessment of their video recordings, developed an awareness of their learning and were able to identify learning strategies to prepare for their first OSCE. Fostering students’ feedback literacy could be considered in future educational designs.