Impact of a simulated electronic health record on pharmacy students' perceptions of preparedness for clinical practice

Background and purpose: The growing use of electronic health records (EHRs) in clinical practice highlights the need to incorporate simulated EHRs into the curriculum of healthcare professions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a simulated EHR on student performance and to describe students' perceptions of preparedness to use an EHR in clinical practice. Educational activity and setting: A simulated EHR was introduced to third-year pharmacy students in a practice lab and case studies course series. The impact of the simulated EHR was measured by comparing student grades from acute patient care and ambulatory care advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) before and after EHR implementation. Data on students' perceptions of preparedness to use an EHR was collected by means of a questionnaire. Findings: There was no significant difference between groups on student performance from the acute patient care APPE (p = 0.522) or from the ambulatory care APPE (p = 0.936). Questionnaire responses showed statistically significant improvements in students' perceptions of preparedness to use an EHR in clinical practice. Discussion: Positive findings related to students' perceptions of preparedness to use an EHR in clinical practice were used to guide expansion of the simulated EHR throughout the didactic curriculum at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. Summary: Implementation of a simulated EHR at the end of the PharmD didactic curriculum did not show a difference in student performance on select APPEs, but did show improvements in students' perceptions of preparedness to use an EHR in clinical practice.