Implementation and evaluation of a women's reproductive health pharmacy elective

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

To create, implement and evaluate an elective course for pharmacy students focusing on women's reproductive health topics.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

A course was developed that included lectures discussing contraception, infertility, preconception care, pregnancy, and postpartum health. Active learning provided in the forms of journal article review and review of drug information resources for medication use in pregnancy were utilized. Workshops provided hands-on experiences with prescription contraceptives and over-the-counter fertility products. Knowledge and skills were assessed with in-class quizzes, journal article presentations, class participation, patient cases, and a final exam. A 46-item survey was administered to students pre- and post-course to assess self-perceived knowledge and confidence in women's reproductive health.

FINDINGS

A total of 33 students were enrolled in the course. The response rate for the pre-course survey was 100% (n = 33) and for the post-course survey was 91% (n = 30). Students' confidence in counseling on women's reproductive health topics significantly increased after the course (mean scores 2.62 pre-course and 3.75 post-course, p < 0.0001). Similar results were seen in students' self-perceptions of their overall knowledge in women's health (mean scores 2.63 pre-course and 3.92 post-course, p < 0.0001). Preferred methods of learning included product workshops, and journal club presentations were the least preferred learning method.

DISCUSSION AND SUMMARY

A women's reproductive health course was well received by students and increased their self-perceived knowledge and confidence in the areas of prescription contraceptives and over-the-counter fertility products.

Integrated electrodes on a silicon based ion channel measurement platform

We demonstrate the microfabrication of a low-noise silicon based device with integrated silver/silver chloride electrodes used for the measurement of single ion channel proteins. An aperture of 150 microm diameter was etched in a silicon substrate using a deep silicon reactive ion etcher and passivated with 30 nm of polytetrafluoroethylene via chemical vapor deposition. The average recorded noise in measurements of lipid bilayers was reduced by a factor of four through patterning of a 75 microm thick SU-8 layer around the aperture. Integrated electrodes were fabricated on both sides of the device and used for repeatable, stable, giga-seal bilayer formations as well as characteristic measurements of the transmembrane protein OmpF porin.