RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Assessment of the Accuracy of Pharmacy Students’ Compounded Solutions Using Vapor Pressure Osmometry
JF American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education
JO Am J Pharm Educ
FD American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
SP 58
DO 10.5688/ajpe77358
VO 77
IS 3
A1 William M. Kolling
A1 Timothy B. McPherson
YR 2013
UL http://www.ajpe.org/content/77/3/58.abstract
AB Objective. To assess the effectiveness of using a vapor pressure osmometer to measure the accuracy of pharmacy students’ compounding skills.Design. Students calculated the theoretical osmotic pressure (mmol/kg) of a solution as a pre-laboratory exercise, compared their calculations with actual values, and then attempted to determine the cause of any errors found.Assessment. After the introduction of the vapor pressure osmometer, the first-time pass rate for solution compounding has varied from 85% to 100%. Approximately 85% of students surveyed reported that the instrument was valuable as a teaching tool because it objectively assessed their work and provided immediate formative assessment.Conclusions. This simple technique of measuring compounding accuracy using a vapor pressure osmometer allowed students to see the importance of quality control and assessment in practice for both pharmacists and technicians.