Evaluation of a pharmacy student video learning tool utilising humour and negative knowledge errors to teach improved pharmacist-prescriber phone interaction simulations

Background: Negative knowledge is experiential knowledge gained from errors, or "what not to do.” Humour in teaching is well-received by students and boosts attentiveness and long-term recall. This study evaluated student perceptions of the learning value from a humorous video demonstrating common errors in pharmacist-prescriber phone calls during simulated interactions. Methods: In 2024, pharmacy teaching staff in South Australia created a parody video skit highlighting common communication errors among undergraduate students. Second- and fourth-year Pharmacy Practice students were invited to complete a feedback survey after viewing. The impact of the video was evaluated by comparing students' errors during prescriber-interaction assessments before and after watching. Data were summarised using descriptive statistics and reflexive thematic analysis. Results: 82 students accessed the video, and 52 survey responses were received. 51 respondents (98%) stated that the video helped in understanding what was required of them in simulated prescriber calls. 47 respondents (91%) wanted more tools like this in their education. Students responded positively to the humour, interprofessional perspective, audio/visual presentation and negative knowledge. The students’ performance in assessments was not measurably changed following the use of the learning tool. Conclusion: The combined use of humour and negative knowledge in a simulation video demonstration improved self-reported student understanding, although no improvement in assessment performance was observed.