Continuing education aims at improving practice. In this article, three mai
n research questions are addressed: Which methodology is optimal to improve
counselling behaviour? Are learning outcomes influenced by learning style?
Does knowing imply doing?
Four educational methods, transferring information on cough medicines, are
assessed: a lecture, an interactive workshop, an audiocassette and a textbo
ok. Attendants of the first three methods also received the textbook. Pharm
acists completed a reaming-style inventory in addition to a pretest. After
the instruction phase, they were interviewed by telephone (post-test). We a
lso evaluated the counselling behaviour by an 'incognito' visit to particip
ants as well as to controls.
Seventy-eight pharmacists participated. Their learning-style cannot be rela
ted to the results of pre-or posttest. Each educational method improved the
level of knowledge significantly, but none of them proved to be better tha
n the others. The pharmacists who in addition read the textbook, acquired m
ore knowledge than those who did not. Self-study at home led to more fundam
ental rather than practical knowledge. Improving knowledge does not result
in better counselling: 75% of the pharmacists asked only one question, espe
cially concerning the type of cough. However 9 out of 10 mentioned how to u
se the drug. About half of the pharmacists told the patient about the actio
n of the medicine. Other items were hardly ever mentioned. There was no dif
ference in counselling behaviour between the intervention group and group o
f pharmacists who did not attend the course.
This investigation does not reveal any particular method of in-service trai
ning as being more efficient. Active use of self-study materials helps to i
mprove pharmacological knowledge. Implementing educational strategies to im
prove counselling behaviour remains a future aim.