Assessing behavioural skills in pharmacy education: a scoping review of instruments and evaluation practices.

Abstract

Objectives: This scoping review aimed to map assessment instruments used to evaluate behavioural skills in pharmacy education and to identify gaps in assessment approaches.

Methods: The review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews reporting guidelines. Seven databases were searched. Peer-reviewed studies published between 1999 and 2025 were included. Sources were screened and reviewed, and data were extracted by two independent reviewers. Findings were presented in tables with a narrative synthesis of patterns and gaps.

Key findings: Thirty instruments assessing behavioural skills were identified. Communication was assessed in 21 instruments, while teamwork was assessed in five and professionalism and safety in three each. Among other skills, decision-making and prioritization and critical thinking and problem-solving were each assessed in one instrument. The number of behavioural markers varied widely (2-75), and similar behaviours were often described differently across instruments. Validity evidence was reported in 18 instruments. Most instruments used unanchored ordinal rating scales (19), and five included a qualitative feedback option. Overall, 23 instruments assessed a single skill, while seven assessed multiple skills.

Conclusions: Behavioural skills assessment in pharmacy education mainly focuses on communication. Marker definitions vary across instruments and reporting of validity and rating scale design is limited. Current instruments therefore capture only part of the behavioural skills expected in practice. Clearer definitions, broader assessment approaches, and improved reporting can help strengthen behavioural skill assessment in pharmacy education.