Evaluation of Items for Improvement based on Students’ Perspectives on Practical Pharmaceutical Training to Improve Problem-solving Capability

The satisfaction and motivation of pharmacy students in clinical practical training vary between hospitals and community pharmacies, but the reasons for these differences are unclear. This study investigated items for improving clinical practical training, based on students' perspectives, to increase pharmaceutical problem-solving capability at hospitals and community pharmacies. We conducted a questionnaire survey to evaluate student satisfaction with clinical education and learning environments. The results were analyzed using customer satisfaction analysis. After practical clinical training at hospitals (n = 179) and community pharmacies (n = 207) during the 2021 – 2022 academic year, questionnaires were distributed to pharmacy students at Fukuyama University. In hospital training, “The frequency of patient care experience for a wide variety of diseases was sufficient (improvement factor: 12.073)” and “The frequency of patient care experience was sufficient (10.307)” were identified as items that required improvement. Conversely, in training at community pharmacies, “The practice hours per prescription or pharmacotherapy screening and intervention (17.553)” and “The discussion hours for optimization of prescribing and rational medication use, or patient education with pharmacist (14.627)” were identified. On the basis of the results, universities, in cooperation with hospitals and community pharmacies, should improve their learning strategies and environments. Such academic interventions may enhance student satisfaction and enhance the development of practical pharmacy skills, which affect patient outcomes.