Abstract

Objective: To compare the effectiveness and student experience of video versus animation for teaching communication skills in patientpharmacist interactions.

Methods: A cohort of first year Pharmacy students were randomly divided into two equal groups. The first group watched a series of three video scenes each depicting a patient-pharmacist interaction, and completed a questionnaire aimed at evaluating identification of communication strategies used in each of the scenarios. This group then watched the same three scenes as an animation. The second group followed a similar protocol, except they experienced the animation first, followed by the video. An evaluation survey was completed by both groups at the completion of the animations and video scenarios to measure any difference in preference between video and animation. The research investigated two questions. Firstly, are there any differences in the ability of students to identify key communication competencies using video versus animation? Secondly, do first year Pharmacy students perceive a difference in the usefulness of animation compared to video for communication skills training?

Results: Both the video (85%) and animation (84%) were equally effective for demonstrating key communication elements and behaviors. In both cases students were able to self-identify an improvement in their own communication knowledge. Most students (75%) also agreed that both the video and animation approaches provided a stimulating, realistic and useful way to depict a customer-pharmacist communication encounter. Although, after experiencing both the video and animation scenarios, the majority of students (73%) identified a preference for the video.

Conclusion: Both the video and animation provided an effective and positive approach to communication training. Advances in video and animation technology provide an opportunity to extend the range of tools used for communication skills training within the pharmacy curriculum.

Keywords: Communication; Information technology; Animation; Video; Simulation; Pharmacy; Students; Education