Soap with self-reflection to improve student confidence regarding clinical reasoning competencies in community pharmacy practice

Abstract

Objectives: Self-reflection has been shown to foster clinical reasoning competencies (CRC). Thus, the modified version of the subjective, objective, assessment, and plan (SOAP+) note, which incorporated self-reflection into the SOAP note, has been implemented in community pharmacy clerkship. The aims of the study were to explore the opinion of pharmacy students regarding: 1) the confidence in CRC in community pharmacy practice following the SOAP+ writing and 2) the benefits of reflection in SOAP+ writing. Methods: This was a mixed method study, including a questionnaire survey and focus group discussions of sixth year pharmacy students. The self-rating confidence score before SOAP writing, after SOAP writing, and after reflection writing to complete the SOAP+ were compared using repeated measure ANOVA. The data from the focus group discussions was analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Thirty-seven students completed the questionnaire (68.5% response rate). The scores after reflection writing are the highest score with statistically significant difference for every CRC. The perceived benefits of reflection include promotion of self-directed learning, CRC improvement, and improvement of assessment validity. Conclusions: The student confidence regarding CRC in community pharmacy practice were improved through SOAP+ writing, which promotes self-reflection and learning from student experiences.