ReviewExploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy2023
A systematic review on the use of virtual patient and computer-based simulation for experiential pharmacy education.
Review in Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Teaching clinical communication skills through virtual patient-based learning: an umbrella review of systematic reviews.BMC medical education · 2026Pooled it
- Article
- Enhancing Self-Care Consultation Skills in Pharmacy Education: Benefits of Virtual Patients and Artificial Intelligence-A Scoping Review.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Computer-based case simulations enhances clinical reasoning skills of non-dental medical students as measured by mini-CEX.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of virtual simulation-based pre-learning and the mediating role of metacognition in pharmacokinetics laboratory education.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Assessing ChatGPT's Capability as a New Age Standardized Patient: Qualitative Study.JMIR medical education · 2025Article
- Exploring global perspectives on the use of computer-based simulation in pharmacy education: a survey of students and educators.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Simulation use is rapidly expanding, with technologies like virtual patients (VPs) and computer-based simulation (CBS) allowing for educators to equip pharmacy students with the necessary skills that are aligned with the demands and expectations of a practicing pharmacy professional. These technologies enable pharmacy students to be exposed to challenging or infrequent patient case scenarios in an authentic pharmacy setting. This allows for the reinforcing of care processes and for techniques and crucial skills to be applied. Aim of the study: To consolidate the existing evidence regarding the utilization of VPs and CBS in preparing and supporting students in pharmacy experiential education and evaluate the effectiveness of these approaches in enhancing student pharmacists' learning outcomes, including knowledge, skills, confidence, enjoyment, and engagement. Methods: Five electronic databases were searched using combined keyword and indexing terms (when available) with Boolean operators for the literature search. Studies that reported or investigated the use of VPs and CBS in pharmacy experiential education were included. Data on study design, demographics of participants, information on the interventions, course/skills, primary and secondary outcomes, and qualitative findings were extracted. Results: A total of 911 unique articles were initially identified and filtered down to 19 articles fitting within the inclusion criteria. The selected 19 articles involved student pharmacists (Y1-Y5) and pre-registered pharmacists from ten countries. Simulation tools were used in various pharmacy courses, including Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE), Advanced Pharmaceutical Care II, and Medication Management. Implementing these tools in pharmacy experiential education demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in student knowledge ( Conclusions: This systematic review supports the use of VPs and CBS in pharmacy experiential education and provides practical recommendations for educators including selecting suitable tools, implementing them strategically within courses, integrating them with existing activities, and considering financial and IT support.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.