Pharmacogenetics Education for Pharmacy Students: Measuring Knowledge and Attitude Changes.

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes changes of pharmacy students in Jordan toward pharmacogenetics (PGx) education.

Patients and methods: The study has involved both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantities part investigates the pre- and post-test scores of 95 pharmacy students studying PGx at the University of Jordan. The surveys were administered before and after the educational intervention, which lasted 14 weeks. The qualitative aspect included focus group discussions, where the participants deeply revealed their perceptions of PGx.

Results: The study showed that 66.3% of students "strongly agreed that genes received from parents are the main influencers of medication response", in comparison to 45.3% of the students at the baseline (p < 0.001). The belief that gene variants are correlated with the susceptibility to the side effects of drugs was one of the lessons that benefited the most, with an improvement from 45.3% to 72.6% (p < 0.001). At the end of the intervention, 75.8% of students approved PGx execution being pharmacists' job, whereas 44.2% voted for it at the baseline (p < 0.001). Following the intervention, 75.8% of students strongly agreed that PGx testing should be part of pharmacy education, up from 61.1% (p = 0.016). The number of students that strongly agreed that genetic testing would make drug selection significantly improves from 55.8% to 78.9% (p = 0.002). Focus group interviews confirmed these findings. Students valued talking about tailored medication and promoted PGx to their future employers. According to several students, the PGx course should be mandatory for PharmD students and offered earlier for better practical use.

Conclusion: The PGx educational intervention improved students' PGx knowledge and attitudes. The study underscores the need to integrate PGx into pharmacy courses to educate students about personalized medicine in clinical practice.