title: Preceptor perceptions of pharmacy student team quality assurance projects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess preceptors' opinions of the impact of quality assurance projects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Students were given the opportunity to directly apply material learned in class in a "real world" environment by completing a quality assurance project in a community or health-system pharmacy. All preceptors (n = 38) were contacted via telephone and given the opportunity to respond to open-ended questions concerning their experience with student-team quality assurance projects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Preceptors indicated the quality assurance projects benefited their practice sites by providing additional resources (53%, n = 19), decreased medication errors (22%, n = 8), and increased awareness of the importance of quality assurance (22%, n = 8). Ninety-four percent of respondents (n = 34) perceived the projects had a positive impact on patient care and 92% (n = 33) perceived a positive impact on themselves.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preceptors felt that quality assurance projects performed by pharmacy-student teams were beneficial to patient care, the practice site, and themselves. The quality assurance projects have broad applications and can be added to a medication safety class or to the introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) sequence.
authors: Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy. Downers Grove, IL, USA. warholak@pharmacy.arizona.edu
authors: Terri L
authors: TL
authors: Warholak
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003625:Data Collection; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000458:organization & administration; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000592:standards*; D010595:Pharmacists; D011231:Preceptorship / Q000191:economics; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013339:Students, Pharmacy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*