This research aimed to evaluate if incorporating standardized patients (SPs), or combining SPs with interprofessional student groups, alongside a simulated electronic health record (EHR) system, enhanced knowledge retention and student attitudes among learners. A prospective cohort design was employed to examine three groups of entry-level pharmacy students participating in skills lab sessions during 2018, 2019, and 2021. The main goal was to assess retention of case content one month later across the groups. Progressive enhancements were made to the simulation each year. In 2018, participants worked solely with the simulated EHR platform to handle the case. The 2019 version built on this by including an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) involving SPs. In 2021, physician assistant students were added to create interprofessional teams. Comparisons also included performance on the cases and learner feedback. From 260 eligible individuals, 238 were analyzed for the primary outcome. Findings revealed notable gains in one-month knowledge retention when interprofessional collaboration and SPs were integrated. Average retention scores were 63.8% for the 2018 cohort, 71.7% for 2019, and 76.1% for 2021. Learner attitudes also showed marked positive changes. Incorporating SPs and interprofessional teamwork into skills labs featuring a simulated EHR led to substantial improvements in knowledge retention and student satisfaction.
