A Curriculum Evaluation of the Pathophysiology and Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: A Model for Evaluating the Effectiveness of Instruction in Disease State Management

Abstract

Objectives: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) afflicts close to 20 million adults in the United States. Pharmacy schools should ensure that appropriate teaching measures are implemented to optimize students learning of managing GERD. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the curriculum pertaining to GERD at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy. Methods: We used a repeated measures design to longitudinally evaluate the curriculum on the subject of GERD. Sixty-six subjects from the class of 2007 were initially enrolled in the study, 31 completed the study. Students were tested using a case-based assessment. Descriptive statistics (mean + SD) were used for baseline demographics and a student’s t-test was used to analyze the results. Results: Student’s mean scores improved significantly over the course of the test administrations from 15.03 + 6.7 to 23.25 + 7.6 (p<0.0001). No significant difference was noted in either administration of the assessment between those who had experienced heartburn and those who had not. Mean scores significantly increased in patients who had work experience (p<0.05). Conclusions: Although student’s scores significantly improved during the study, no student achieved the minimally competent score of 70% and there was a high attrition rate, >50%. This high attrition rate possibly contributed to the poor results of the study. There may be a need for further evaluation and revision of the curriculum in this area at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy.