title: Use of high-fidelity simulation to teach end-of-life care to pharmacy students in an interdisciplinary course.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effect of high-fidelity simulation on pharmacy students' attitudes and perceived competencies in providing end-of-life care in an interdisciplinary palliative care course.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty pharmacy students participated in a high-fidelity simulation of the 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after the death of a patient with end-stage renal disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Students completed the Attitudes Toward Death Survey and the End of Life Competency Survey prior to and after experiencing the simulation. A reflections journal exercise was used to capture post-simulation subjective reactions, and a course evaluation was used to assess students' satisfaction with the simulation experience. Students' post-simulation attitudes toward death significantly improved compared to pre-simulation attitudes and they felt significantly more competent to take care of dying patients. Students were satisfied with this teaching method.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High-fidelity simulation is an innovative way to challenge pharmacy students' attitudes and help them with knowledge acquisition about end-of-life care.
authors.affiliation: Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing, University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX 78209, USA. igilliland@satx.rr.com
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gilliland
authors.forename: Bradi L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Frei
authors.forename: Jeanette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McNeill
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stovall
mesh_terms: D003479:Curriculum; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D058025:Interdisciplinary Studies; D008297:Male; D010166:Palliative Care; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013339:Students, Pharmacy