Interprofessional Educational Interventions to Improve Pharmacological Knowledge and Prescribing Competency in Medical Students and Trainees: A Scoping Review.

Abstract

Introduction: Prescribing errors are the most common cause of preventable patient harm. In recent years, interprofessional education (IPE) has been increasingly utilised to improve knowledge and skills through promoting interprofessional collaboration. This scoping review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of IPE interventions for pharmacological knowledge and prescribing skills in medical students and doctors-in-training. Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC and Scopus were searched on 18 February 2025 for studies published since 2020. Keywords included interprofessional education, medical student, medical trainee, pharmacology and prescribing. Results: Of the 2254 citations identified, 42 studies were included. There were four main types of IPE interventions: case-based learning, work-integrated-learning, didactic, and simulation and role-plays. Outcomes were spread across pharmacological knowledge, prescribing skills and interprofessional attitudes, and all studies reported one or more positive findings at Kirkpatrick IPE level 1, 2a, 2b, 3 or 4b. No study reported outcomes at Kirkpatrick IPE 4a. Conclusions: IPE interventions targeting pharmacology and prescribing are positively viewed by medical learners. IPE is effective in improving interprofessional attitudes and collaboration, as well as pharmacological knowledge and prescribing competency. Logistical challenges can be barriers to larger-group IPE implementation; nonetheless, IPE work-integrated learning in authentic clinical settings may overcome these challenges.