A drug-drug interaction knowledge assessment instrument for health professional students: a Rasch analysis of validity evidence.

It is essential that current and future health professionals be able to evaluate for possible clinically significant drug-drug interactions (DDIs) and when detected, determine appropriate management strategies to prevent patient harm. Assess the validity of a DDI knowledge assessment instrument in a health professional student population. This study recruited health professional students (medical, nurse practitioner, and pharmacy) beginning experiential training at the University of Arizona. Students were given a knowledge assessment instrument that included 15 medication pairings selected on the basis of clinical importance and were asked to select the most appropriate DDI management strategy for each pair by selecting "avoid combination," "usually avoid combination," "take precautions," or "no special precautions." Data were analyzed in 2 ways because of the subjective nature of classifying DDIs into specific management categories. In the first analysis, respondents were given credit for a correct item only if they selected the management strategy deemed appropriate (management strategy analysis). In another analysis, students were given credit for an item only if they correctly identified specific DDIs (DDI recognition analysis). Rasch analysis was used to assess the validity of the knowledge instrument. A total of 165 of the 226 eligible health professional students completed the DDI knowledge assessment (73% response rate). The mean score for management strategy analysis was 3.82 out of 15, whereas DDI recognition analysis produced a higher average (mean=6.55). Good reliability was demonstrated in both strategies, and no ceiling or floor effects were observed. Some construct underrepresentation occurred with both scoring strategies, and some mistargeting was identified when analyzing the management strategy. Although improvements in construct representation may be beneficial, the instrument used demonstrated good reliability and validity and could be used by educators to assess and improve DDI knowledge. The ability of the participants to identify DDIs and select an appropriate management strategy was low. These results support the need for additional DDI education in this institution's health curricula.

Warholak TL ，Menke JM ，Hines LE ，Murphy JE ，Reel S ，Malone DC ... -  《-》

Impact of a drug-drug interaction intervention on pharmacy and medical students' knowledge and attitudes: a 1-year follow-up.

There have been many interventions aimed at improving retention of drug-drug interaction (DDI) knowledge of health care professionals. Much less is known about their retention of such knowledge for extended periods of time after an educational intervention. To evaluate pharmacy and medical students' knowledge retention and attitudes 1 year after participating in an educational session on DDIs. This study used a pre-post design with an assessment of DDI knowledge and attitude by pharmacy and medical students before and after the final didactic year of their professional education. The intervention was a 1-hour program. A total of 74 of 193 students (38%) completed the pre, post, and final questionnaire. The median numbers of correctly identified DDIs before the program were 8 and 7 for pharmacy and medical students, respectively, out of a possible score of 15. One year after, the median identification knowledge scores were 12 and 8, respectively, for pharmacy and medical students. The median difference scores of correctly managed DDIs on this evaluation 1 year after the program were -4 and -8 for pharmacy and medical students, respectively (P<.05). This study found that the ability to identify important DDIs is poor among both pharmacy and medical students 1 year after being exposed to the educational session.

Hincapie AL ，Warholak TL ，Hines LE ，Taylor AM ，Malone DC ... -  《-》

Potential determinants of prescribers' drug-drug interaction knowledge.

Ko Y ，Malone DC ，D'Agostino JV ，Skrepnek GH ，Armstrong EP ，Brown M ，Woosley RL ... -  《Research in Social & Administrative Pharmacy》

The Chinese version of the Facts on Aging Quiz scale: reliability and validity assessment.

The use of health care services by older adults is increasing with the aging of the population. It is therefore essential that health care workers are current in their knowledge about gerontology; thus, educational programs regarding the care of elders are essential. Chinese-language assessments to measure knowledge about gerontology and aging and attitudes toward older adults are lacking. This study was designed to measure the reliability and validity of a Chinese-language version of Palmore's facts on aging quiz (FAQ 1). Cronbach's alpha, construct validity, content validity and convergent validity of the Chinese version of the FAQ 1 were assessed. A sample of 220 student nurses was recruited. Part of the sample (n=125; Group A) was comprised of experienced nurses who had returned to school for advanced degrees. The remaining 95 participants were first-year undergraduate students without prior work experience (Group B). The FAQ 1 was administered to all participants. The Chinese-language version of Kogan's Attitudes toward Older People (KAOP) was also administered to assess convergent validity of the FAQ 1. Cronbach's alpha of the FAQ was 0.68, content validity was 0.82, and construct validity and convergent validity were acceptable. Group A had more correct answers on each item than Group B, indicating that students with prior work experience with the elderly were more knowledgeable regarding older people and aging. Based on the results of the assessment, the Chinese version of FAQ 1 is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring students' or health care providers' knowledge about older people.

Wang CC ，Liao WC ，Kuo PC ，Yuan SC ，Chuang HL ，Lo HC ，Liao HY ，Elaine M ，Lee MC ，Yen CH ... -  《-》

Nursing students' knowledge and attitudes regarding pain.

Plaisance L ，Logan C 《-》