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Abstract

Background Patient-centred health professional teaching requires learners to develop skills that consider patients’ preferences and needs. Accordingly, patient input is fundamental to enhance learner skill development. Objectives Phase 1: To map the existing evidence on how real patients participate in workplace-based assessment of health professional trainees across various health disciplines. Phase 2: To compare and contrast patients’ and pharmacy learners’ perspectives on patient involvement in assessing pharmacy learner skills. Methods Phase 1: Scoping review of patient participation in workplace-based assessment of health professional trainees. Phase 2: A qualitative study informed by interpretive description methodology and situated in an outpatient pharmacist-led clinic that serves as a teaching site for pharmacy learners. I conducted virtual semi-structured interviews with ten patients who were cared for by a pharmacy learner and ten pharmacy learners who were completing clerkship training. Data analysis was iterative, occurring as interviews proceeded and used a thematic approach. Findings Phase 1: There is limited evidence on patient involvement in health professional trainee assessment, particularly in the pharmacy discipline; with most studies in medicine and nursing. Phase 2: Addressing the knowledge gap revealed in Phase 1 on lack of patient involvement in pharmacy learner assessment. Patients expressed interest in giving feedback on pharmacy learner skills while learners regarded patient feedback as an asset to their educational journey. Overall, I identified two overarching themes 1) Humanistic aspects of pharmacy learner care; and 2) Intrinsic aspects of pharmacy learner care. There was marked divergence when comparing and contrasting patients’ and pharmacy learners’ data. Subthemes further revealed that humanistic aspects include rapport, simple language, and active listening as pharmacy learner skills patients felt they could assess. Conversely, pharmacy learners expected patients to predominantly assess their intrinsic pharmacy skills including knowledge and optimization of health. Conclusion This thesis provides insight into how real patients could participate in the assessment of pharmacy learners and how this participation was perceived by learners themselves. I propose an inclusive approach to pharmacy learner assessment, informed by patient perspectives and demands, to guide pharmacy educators in developing patient-centred feedback techniques that would ultimately enhance learners’ training as future frontline clinicians.