Preceptor perceptions of pharmacy student team quality assurance projects.
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.
Warholak
Terri L
TL
Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy. Downers Grove, IL, USA. warholak@pharmacy.arizona.edu
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*