Simulation-related Publications

Bridgeman, M. B., Barta, L., Barbarello Andrews, L., (2024). “Safely gaining experience in death and dying: Simulation in palliative care and end-of-life education.” Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning 16(9): 102133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2024.102133

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Background: Training in palliative and end-of-life (EOL) care provision represents a critical topic in health professional curricula for ensuring a workforce prepared to provide safe and person-center care at the end of one’s life. This manuscript describes the incorporation of a simulation-based learning experience (SBLE) and the evolution of a professional elective course for student pharmacists related to palliative and EOL care. Educational activity A SBLE was incorporated into a long-standing professional pharmacy elective course in palliative and EOL care.

The decision to incorporate and utilize SBLE to introduce topics of deprescribing, communication, prioritization of quality of life, and establishing goals of care was utilized in recognition of a need to establish a psychologically safer environment to allow students to explore these topics prior to the advanced pharmacy practice experiences. Discussion Incorporation of SBLE in this professional elective course resulted in a favorable effect on course enrollment. Observations from structured debriefing and anecdotal student feedback suggest that students had trouble tailoring care plans to the circumstances, particularly in focusing on de-escalating medication treatments, emphasizing the need for training in the care for this patient population which incorporate considerations for goals of care. Lessons related to the influence of environmental distractions, expressions of discomfort conveyed by body language, and challenges in prioritizing and focusing on tailoring care plans given evolving information at hand were identified.

Implications: We describe the effective implementation and utilization of SBLE in a professional elective focused on palliative and EOL care for student pharmacists. Future directions include research initiatives designed to evaluate the impact of simulation on key competencies and areas developed through participation in such exercises. Systematic evaluation of outcomes and competencies related to team dynamics, sympathetic communication, professional identity formation and resiliency and preparation for dealing with death and dying in experiential learning are planned.

Introduction to Medical Acting, a course developed in partnership with the Mason Gross School of Arts is hosted at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy in the fall semester.

Read more about the Ensemble Healthcare: Interprofessional education as the ticket to better outcomes in Pharmacy Magazine 2024

Greer, D., Barta, L., Liu, M. T., & Andrews, L. B. (2024). Subjective and objective benefits of a novel opioid‐related disorders simulation learning experience for pharmacy students. Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, 7(2), 133-139.

Donovan, C. M. (2023). Augmented reality integration in manikin-based simulations: bringing basic science to the critical care bedside with limited augmented reality resources. Medical Science Educator, 33(4), 829-833.

Barbarello Andrews, L., & Barta, L. (2021, April). Simulation To Teach Pharmacist’s Patient Care Planning and Assessment of Pain and Agitation Management in Critical Care. In International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH 2021) Technical Proceedings.

Donovan, C. M., Cooper, A., & Kim, S. (2021). Ready patient one: how to turn an in-person critical care simulation scenario into an online serious game. Cureus, 13(9).

Johnston, J. P., Andrews, L. B., Adams, C. D., Cardinale, M., Dixit, D., Effendi, M. K., … & Opsha, Y. (2021). Implementation and evaluation of a virtual learning advanced pharmacy practice experience. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 13(7), 862-867.

Herrigel, D. J., Donovan, C., Goodman, E., Pradhan, A., Bridgeman, M. M., Hogshire, L., … & Kim, S. (2020). Simulation as a platform for development of entrustable professional activities: a modular, longitudinal approach. Cureus, 12(10).