title: Skills development using role-play in a first-year pharmacy practice course.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the usefulness of a role-play model in developing students' patient-care skills in a first-year undergraduate pharmacy practice course.
  
  
  METHODS
  A role-play model was developed and implemented in workshops across 2 semesters of a year-long course. Students performed different roles, including that of a pharmacist and a patient, and documented case notes in a single interaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Student perceptions of the usefulness of the approach in acquiring skills were measured by surveying students during both semesters. All student assessments (N=130 in semester1; N=129 in semester 2) also were analyzed for skills in verbal communication, information gathering, counselling and making recommendations, and accurately documenting information. A majority of students found the approach useful in developing skills. An analysis of student assessments revealed that role-playing was not as effective in building skills related to accurate documentation as it was in other areas of patient care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Role play is useful for developing patient-care skills in communication and information gathering but not for documentation of case notes.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia. deepa.rao@unisa.edu.au
authors.forename: Deepa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D003625:Data Collection; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D005791:Patient Care / Q000379:methods; D012381:Role Playing; D013339:Students, Pharmacy; D055815:Young Adult