Association between Clinical Case Validation and Students' Success Rate in Virtual Pharmacy Simulation.

Amirthalingam, Palanisamy; Hamdan, Ahmed Mohsen; Pakkir Mohamed, Shahul Hameed; Veeramani, Vinoth Prabhu; Nagoor Thangam, Mathar Mohideen; Alanazi, Majed Falah; Dhanasekaran, Muralikrishnan; Mani, Vasudevan; Alqifari, Saleh Fahad; Sayed Ali, Mostafa Abdelrahman

Background: Virtual simulation has been widely used in various pharmacy educational institutions worldwide, and it helps students approach the real-world pharmacy practice experience. However, the importance and practice of validating clinical cases among pharmacy educators still need to be improved. Objectives: To assess the correlation between the success rate of students with reliability statistics, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Materials and Methods: One hundred and fifty students completed the twenty case scenarios comprising patient interviews, medication labeling, and counseling tasks. Students were randomly divided into an exam group (75 students) and a validation group (75 students). In the exam group, student passes percentages and the mean number of successes and failed students were calculated and compared using the students 't-test. Reliability statistics, EFA, and CFA, were performed in the validation group to validate the clinical case scenarios. Spearman's correlation was used to assess the correlation between the pass percentage of students and Reliability statistics, EFA, and CFA. Results: The pass percentage of students had a significant positive correlation (p<0.05) with Cronbach's α, McDonald's ω percentage of variance, initial Eigen value, Comparative Fit Index (CFI), and Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI). Also, the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) and Standardized Root Mean Square (SRMR) had a significant negative correlation (p<0.05) with the pass percentage of students. All these findings authenticate the relationship between the reliability, EFA, and CFA, and validated clinical cases significantly impact the pass percentage of students. Conclusion: Pharmacy educators should ensure the validation of clinical cases, as validated clinical cases can enhance the learning experience. This may help to uplift the pharmacy practice experience and education.

STANDARD deviations; EXPLORATORY factor analysis; CONFIRMATORY factor analysis; STATISTICAL reliability; ROOT-mean-squares; DRUG labeling

Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, 2024, Vol 58, Issue 3, p931

0019-5464

Academic Journal

10.5530/ijper.58.3.102