Evaluation of the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy’s Curriculum and Pharmacy Students’ Knowledge and Abilities to Counsel Women about the Use of Over-the-Counter Products and Prescription Medications During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were 1) to review the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy’s curriculum to assess if courses cover pertinent topics in the use of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications by pregnant and lactating women based on The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Gender and Sex-Related Health Care Pharmacy Curriculum Guide and 2) to assess pharmacy students’ knowledge and abilities to counsel women during pregnancy and breastfeeding. METHODS: The curriculum review was a retrospective, descriptive analysis to assess how well the required curriculum addressed eight pertinent topics in the use of prescription and OTC medications by pregnant and lactating women. The self-assessment questionnaire was a cross-sectional, descriptive analysis that measured student pharmacists’ comfort level with counseling pregnant and lactating women, their perception of how well pharmacy school has prepared them for this role, and their familiarity with and use of available resources. RESULTS: The College of Pharmacy was not in compliance with AACP’s Pharmacy Curriculum Guide. This was reinforced by the questionnaire, which showed that the majority of students, regardless of year in school, did not feel they had been adequately prepared to counsel or to make recommendations to this population. CONCLUSIONS: It is recommended that the curriculum be amended by adding a lecture on teratogenicity. A list of gender and sex- related topics should be provided as well as a handout with available resources. In addition, case studies in each course should be revised to include critical decision-making, recommendations, and counseling if the patient were pregnant or breastfeeding.