A novel cardiovascular risk screening and health promotion service learning course

Introduction: The Cardiovascular (CV) Risk Screening and Health Promotion course was created to develop the pharmacy student's ability to conduct screening and assessment in a community setting and to supplement skills introduced in the required Patient Assessment course. Methods: Students completed a 10-hour training session that consisted of lecture, practice sessions, and skills assessment to achieve competence in the measurement of cholesterol, blood glucose, blood pressure, waist circumference, body mass index, as well as the assessment of CV risk. Students were then required to complete 12 hours of service learning with guided reflection. Changes in knowledge and confidence were assessed pre- and post-training session through written exams. Results: Mean knowledge scores improved from 5.00 ± 1.70 to 7.44 ± 1.38 (p <0.001) for blood pressure measurement, from 7.83 ± 1.32 to 8.57 ± 0.97 (p = 0.001) for cholesterol/glucose measurement, and from 3.85 ± 2.04 to 7.93 + 1.66 (p <0.001) for CV risk assessment. Confidence was also significantly increased in all three areas and was sustained at four months. Conclusion: The CV Risk Screening and Health Promotion course improves knowledge and confidence in students' ability to measure blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, and assess cardiovascular risk to promote lifestyle and medical therapy interventions.