Reenvisioning Assessment for the Academy and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education's Standards Revision Process

Assessment has become a major aspect of accreditation processes across all of higher education. As the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) plans a major revision to the standards for doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) education, an in-depth, scholarly review of the approaches and strategies for assessment in the PharmD program accreditation process is warranted. This paper provides 3 goals and 7 recommendations to strengthen assessment in accreditation standards. The goals include: (1) simplified standards with a focus on accountability and improvement, (2) institutionalization of assessment efforts; and (3) innovation in assessment. Evolving and shaping assessment practices is not the sole responsibility of the accreditation standards. Assessment requires commitment and dedication from individual faculty members, colleges and schools, and organizations supporting the college and schools, such as the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Therefore, this paper also challenges the academy and its members to optimize assessment practices.     

A Situational Judgment Test to Assess Students’ Achievement of Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Standards 3 and 4

Objective. For pharmacy students to successfully meet competencies related to Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Standards 3 and 4, it is essential for pharmacy programs to assess student progression in the affective domain. The purpose of this study was to develop and assess the validity of a situational judgment test (SJT) for evaluating student mastery of Standards 3 and 4.Methods. A multi-institutional faculty team developed an 18-item SJT that consisted of scenarios asking the respondent to rank the effectiveness of four response options mapped to Standards 3 and 4. The research team systematically reviewed the literature, created items, and deliberated until consensus was achieved. Subject matter experts (SMEs) reviewed and provided feedback on the instrument. Students from two institutions were recruited to participate in cognitive interviews about the finalized instrument. Cognitive interview data were analyzed to identify themes.Results. After edits were made to the instrument based on SME feedback, students (n=18) in the cognitive interviews identified item length as a concern and commented on item/response clarity and comprehensiveness. Data from the cognitive interviews were used to modify the SJT to reduce the length and clarify items. The result was two shorter versions of the instrument, both with similar mapping to all elements in Standards 3 and 4.Conclusion. Early steps in validating the SJT suggested that the instrument may be a promising tool to assess student progression in the affective domain. The SJT instrument is intended to provide evidence of student pharmacist development that occurs in the didactic, experiential, and co-curricular portions of pharmacy education. The instrument can serve as one part of a comprehensive assessment plan.     

Patient safety training simulations based on competency criteria of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

This report reviews and critically evaluates the development of 3 movements in healthcare that have had a profound impact on changes occurring at all levels of medical education: patient safety, healthcare simulation, and competency-based education (exemplified by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education). The authors performed a critical and selective review of the literature from 1999 to 2011 to identify uses of simulation to address patient-safety issues aligned according to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education 6 core competencies: (1) patient care; (2) medical knowledge; (3) interpersonal and communication skills; (4) professionalism; (5) practice-based learning; and (6) systems-based practice. The research synthesis is reported to inform and provide evidence about how simulation is used to train and evaluate learners on a range of patient-safety issues for each of the core competencies: There is emerging evidence that simulation can be used in training efforts to reduce medical errors related to medical knowledge and patient care (particular invasive procedures as well as improved communication and teamwork skills). There remains limited evidence on its impact to improve patient safety related to more complex competencies of practice-based learning and systems-based practice. Simulation-based learning can lead to positive patient outcomes and reduction of medical errors particularly when used for individual skills. However, particular attention needs to be placed on the organizational context in which it is implemented if improvements in practice-based learning and systems-based practice are to be realized.     

对国家临床重点专科临床药学专业评审标准的修改建议

目的:修改国家临床药学重点专科临床药学评审标准,促进临床药学服务工作规范化和标准化,提高我国临床药学重点专科服务水平。方法:以国际医疗卫生机构认证联合委员会(JCI)国际医院认证标准基本理念为标准,对原卫生部2012年发布的《临床药学科国家临床重点专科建设项目评分标准(试行)》(900分)提出修改建议。结果与结论:针对原标准存在缺少药学服务制度化管理、缺少流程控制及质量管理标准、部分分类项目描述不清、未完全体现临床药学服务质量和工作效果评价要求等方面的问题,从基础条件、信息化管理、临床药学工作管理制度等8个方面均提出了相应的修改意见。修改后标准更重视和细化制度、标准、流程、质量控制、效果评价等方面的质量体系建设,可促进我国临床药学服务水平的提升及临床药学服务工作的规范化和标准化。