How Have Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) Been Implemented in Pharmacy Education? A Scoping Review.
Luiz Claudio Oliveira Alves de Souza, Luciana Flavia de Almeida Romani, Marina Guimaraes Lima
Abstract
Open AccessEntrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) are units of professional practice entrusted to learners once they have attained the required competencies to perform them. This scoping review described how Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) have been implemented in pharmacy education. MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched (on 8 July 2025) to identify relevant literature from 2016 to 2025. Studies that describe EPAs implemented in pharmacy programs, assess the perspectives on EPAs implemented, or evaluate student performance on EPAs were included. Studies that did not assess actual experience of EPAs' implementation were excluded. The data were described narratively and through frequencies and tables. Twenty-four studies were included in the review. Most studies pointed out that the EPAs' framework has been adopted mostly in practice experiences, but with a few experiences in course activities. The most frequent approach to assess student performance on EPAs was direct practice observation. Student performance on EPAs improved after participating in educational activities. From the perspectives of students, preceptors, and faculty members, EPAs facilitated student assessment of competencies; however, there are challenges in their implementation, such as heavy workload. The findings of this review can inform faculty members and health professionals who intend to implement EPAs' framework.