Novel online education to support pharmacists’ clinical decision-making skills

Background Improved decision-making skills and the confidence to deliver safe care have been identified as development needs of pharmacists working towards Advanced Practice in the UK. Interactive, online simulation was identified as a potential medium to promote the development of decision-making skills.Aim Design, deliver and evaluate novel online education to support pharmacists' clinical decision-making skills.Setting General PracticeDevelopment A bespoke branching scenario-based e-learning module was developed: ‘Pharmacy clinical decision-making: Myocardial infarction (MI)’ to allow pharmacists to practice clinical decision-making skills independently in a risk-free environment.Implementation The module was available across Scotland to all pharmacists through NHS Education for Scotland’s learning platform, Turas Learn.Evaluation From August 2021 to May 2022, learners’ (n = 34) perceptions of their confidence and competence in clinical decision-making were investigated using pre- and post-evaluation surveys (utilising 5scale Likert-type questions). Key aspects of clinical decision-making relating to the scenarios were investigated; overall care, interpreting blood results and specific dose adjustments. All areas assessed showed a statistically significant increase in the self-reported competence and confidence of the learners after using the module (Wilcoxon, p < 0.01). Qualitative analysis indicated that the module was well received; learners expressed a desire for a wider range of clinical topics alongside more complexity and variation in the scenarios.