A Trial of Practical Training on Online Medication Instructions in Clinical Preparatory Education: Development of Human Resources to Provide New Forms of Medical Care after the COVID-19 Pandemic

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has considerably affected several social services. The Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare has partially revised the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Law and established legislations on permanent online medication instructions. Based on these social needs, the development of human resources to provide online medication instructions is vital. Therefore, we developed a training program for providing online medication instructions in preparatory clinical education. Pharmacy students who had conducted medical interviews with standardized patients participated in the training. Educational outcomes were evaluated using an objective multiple-choice test and free description before and after practical training. The median number of correct answers on objective tests on the legislation on online medication instructions increased significantly. Based on the free description analysis, students were able to comprehend the influence of communication environment on the quality of medication instructions. Based on the results of the direct evaluation using objective testing and indirect evaluation by analyzing the free descriptions, they also acquired the skills necessary for providing online medication instructions. Therefore, this training program can contribute to mastering the provision of online medication instructions.