The Future of Education
Deepening Understanding on Pharmacy Practice through Experiencing in Virtual Reality and Mobile-Health Patient Application
Vivian Lee, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
Paula Hodgson, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
Abstract
Technologies like notebook computer, virtual reality devices and mobile applications can be useful tools to prepare pharmacy students in the 21st century (August, Miranda & Serag-Bolos, 2015). The Generation Z pharmacy students in Hong Kong have much exposure to the use of mobile for communication with peers. Pharmacy educators start getting their students using mobile applications and technology to enrich the learning experiences, and students can find useful and reliable medical references and drug information with medical mobile applications (August, 2013). This case study reports how a pharmacy educator redesign the curriculum such that students can gain a balance of cognitive knowledge and the humanistic side of pharmacy practice through experiencing ways of communication with doctors and patients with virtual reality devices with mobile phones or notebook computers in preparation for clinical internship. In addition, a mobile application for e-health support for patients is under development, and it gathers health records of individual patients, information on drugs being prescribed and the pharmacist, and medical appointment data. The students may build a comprehensive understanding that pharmacy is not only about drug dispense or prescription check, but ways to connect patients and performing medication review as changes of patients’ health condition across time practising by the professional pharmacists (van de Pol, et al. 2019).
Keywords: Virtual reality, mobile application, professional preparation, community;
References:
[1] Aungst, T. (2013). Medical Applications for Pharmacists Using Mobile Devices. Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 47(7-8), 1088-1095.
[2] Aungst, T. D., Miranda, A. C., & Serag-Bolos, E. S. (2015). How mobile devices are changing pharmacy practice. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 72(6), 494-500.
[3] van de Pol, J. M., Geljon, J. G., Belitser, S. V., Frederix, G. W., Hövels, A. M., & Bouvy, M. L. (2019). Pharmacy in transition: A work sampling study of community pharmacists using smartphone technology. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 15(1), 70-76.
