A student-inclusive pharmacotherapeutics textbook selection process

Abstract 

Objectives

We set out to (1) develop a learner-centered approach to pharmacotherapeutics textbook evaluation and selection and (2) describe potential differences among students and instructors in their textbook selection preferences.

Design

Pharmacy practice faculty created the Textbook Evaluation and Selection Tool (TEST) to evaluate pharmacotherapeutics textbooks. Evaluator subgroups were PharmD students (third-year, fourth-year, and teaching assistants) and instructors (residents and clinical faculty). Although each evaluator used the same therapeutic topic for all four textbooks, the range of evaluators reviewed a variety of disease state topics. The Many-Facet Rasch Model (MFRM) was used to transform evaluation responses into measures of textbook preference.

Results

Thirty-two participants completed 241 TEST evaluations. Regarding construct validity, the TEST rating scale functioned well, while textbooks and items clearly fit the unidimensional model. The TEST separation was 4.91, with a measurement error of 0.07 for the textbooks. The TEST reliability was 0.96. Textbook preferences varied among subgroups of students and instructors. Because the number of participants/evaluations varied among subgroups, a consensus was achieved by summating subgroup preference measures from the MFRM.

Conclusion

This study fostered textbook evaluation and included student, resident, and faculty input. Using the TEST measure, differences were observed among evaluator subgroups. This inclusive decision-making design provided feedback in our pharmacotherapeutics textbook selection process.

Keywords: Textbook selection, Measurement, Rasch, Pharmacy education, Pharmacotherapeutics