An Internet training module for traditional and nontraditional doctor of pharmacy students: Content and evaluation

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, Spring 2000 by Sowinski, Kevin M, Scott, Steven A, Carlstedt, Bruce C

The purpose of this project was to develop, utilize and evaluate an Internet training module for doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students that would introduce the use of e-mail, on-line searching for primary literature and patient information and to compare the student perceptions of the module between traditional and nontraditional PharmD students. A World Wide Web site was developed which provided the students with instructions for the module, but no print-based copies of the module were provided to students. An evaluation was completed and submitted electronically. Both traditional and nontraditional PharmD students agreed that the module was user friendly and that they saw the value of this exercise in identifying potential resources for future courses and clerkship assignments. Development of an Internet training module enabled students to send and receive e-mail messages to and from course instructors. Students learned how to search primary literature citations and patient information sheets for prescription drugs, disease states and herbal remedies on the Internet. Further expansion of this module will include on-line publications, pharmaceutical manufacturers, professional organizational web pages and online professional placement services.

INTRODUCTION

The use of Internet and other computer-based informational technologies are commonplace in the current health care system. A large number of World Wide Web (WWW) sites are devoted to providing drug and health-related information(1,2). Due to the increased use and availability of these technologies, pharmacists must become "sophisticated" in the use of information technologies to keep pace with other health care professionals and patients. However, unlike most journal publications, the Internet lacks a peer review process. Thus, pharmacists must also be able to evaluate the reliability of the information presented by these web sites. To facilitate effective use of computer and Internet technologies, pharmacy educators must incorporate these technologies into teaching methodologies so pharmacists have the tools needed for use in their daily professional practices.

There are many examples of review articles(1-6), Internet training courses for health care professionals and pharmacy school courses utilizing Internet-based technologies(7-17) in the literature. However, there are no published papers describing introductory Internet tutorials for health care professionals or more specifically pharmacy students or the evaluation of these modules. Thus, we developed a WWW-based module to introduce traditional and nontraditional Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students to the basic uses of the Internet. The rationale for developing this module was three-fold. First, as described above, pharmacists must become adept at using the Internet to obtain professional and patient information pertaining to drugs, diseases and health related issues. Second, pharmacists must also be able to retrieve and provide reliable information to patients and other health care professionals related to new drugs, herbal remedies and disease states. In fact, patients frequently come to pharmacies and other health care facilities armed with information related to conventional and/or alternative therapies that has been obtained from the Internet. Many times this information is invalid and/or unreliable. Third, it is imperative that pharmacists are able to determine the reliability of such information and provide patients with appropriate and scientifically based information. In addition to the need for students to have this knowledge, additional reasons exist to introduce them, in this school of pharmacy as well as other programs around the country, to professional uses of the Internet. First, Internet courseware is being introduced into this program's therapeutics sequence during the third professional year and thus, students must be able to navigate the Internet to successfully utilize this courseware. Second, many faculty members of the Department of Pharmacy Practice are located at the Indiana University Medical Center (IUMC) campus in Indianapolis, 65 miles from the main campus. These faculty provide the majority of therapeutics didactic instruction during the third professional year of the curriculum. As a result, new ways of enhancing communication between these sites is crucial. The use of e-mail, chat sessions, Internet video conferencing and virtual office hours is a necessary and low cost approach to maintain efficient contact between students and instructors. A third reason to introduce students to the Internet is that during the fourth professional year of the PharmD program, almost all students leave the main campus for clerkship sites throughout the state, making communication with these students difficult. Ensuring that students are able to use e-mail, WWW-based courseware and other Internet-based resources enhances communication between students, administration and faculty. Job placement information and appointments for students in their fourth professional year are exclusively available at a university web site. Similarly, the nontraditional PharmD program, which is offered state-wide requires effective communication and instruction to these students. Many schools of pharmacy face similar issues related to nontraditional PharmD programs