Premium
Junior doctor‐led ‘near‐peer’ prescribing education for medical students
Author(s) -
Gibson Kyle R.,
Qureshi Zeshan U.,
Ross Michael T.,
Maxwell Simon R.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
british journal of clinical pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.216
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1365-2125
pISSN - 0306-5251
DOI - 10.1111/bcp.12147
Subject(s) - attendance , medicine , medical education , family medicine , preference , economics , microeconomics , economic growth
Aims Prescribing errors are common and inadequate preparation of prescribers appears to contribute. A junior doctor‐led prescribing tutorial programme has been developed for E dinburgh final year medical students to increase exposure to common prescribing tasks. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of these tutorials on students and tutors. Methods One hundred and ninety‐six tutorials were delivered to 183 students during 2010–2011. Each student completed a questionnaire after tutorial attendance which explored their previous prescribing experiences and the perceived benefits of tutorial attendance. Tutors completed a questionnaire which evaluated their teaching experiences and the impact on their prescribing practice. Student tutorial attendance was compared with end‐of‐year examination performance using linear regression analysis. Results The students reported increased confidence in their prescribing knowledge and skills after attending tutorials. Students who attended more tutorials also tended to perform better in end‐of‐year examinations ( D rug prescribing: r = 0.16, P = 0.015; Fluid prescribing: r = 0.18, P = 0.007). Tutors considered that participation enhanced their own prescribing knowledge and skills. Although they were occasionally unable to address student uncertainties, 80% of tutors reported frequently correcting misconceptions and deficits in student knowledge. Ninety‐five percent of students expressed a preference for prescribing training delivered by junior doctors over more senior doctors. Conclusions A ‘near‐peer’ junior doctor‐led approach to delivering prescribing training to medical students was highly valued by both students and tutors. Although junior doctors have relatively less clinical experience of prescribing, we believe that this can be addressed by training and academic supervision and is outweighed by the benefits of these tutorials.