{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,16]],"date-time":"2026-07-16T12:04:00Z","timestamp":1784203440946,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,16]],"date-time":"2026-07-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784160000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Learning curves can quantify how trainees acquire complex clinical skills. We applied this concept to track pharmacists\u2019 proficiency in reviewing prescriptions for anesthetics and Schedule-I psychotropics\u2014high-risk areas where workforce shortages are acute.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Twenty pharmacy trainees enrolled in a tertiary-level hospital in 2025 completed a 10-step program; each step comprised 100 prescription reviews. Accuracy of review decisions, time to completion, and correct use of professional terminology were recorded for every trainee at every step. Cumulative-sum charts for binary outcomes were constructed for each metric, for the cohort overall, and for each individual. Pearson and Spearman coefficients tested associations between the step at which a trainee\u2019s curve flattened and baseline characteristics.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Group-level curves plateaued at step 7 for overall proficiency, step 6 for terminology, step 7 for accuracy, and step 8 for speed. Individual curves began to flatten between steps 4 and 9. A strong negative correlation was found between years of prior front-line pharmacy experience and the number of steps required to reach plateau (\n                      <jats:italic>r<\/jats:italic>\n                      =\u202f\u22120.521,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      =\u202f0.018).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Learning-curve analysis objectively identifies when pharmacists achieve consistent, timely, and accurate review of high-risk prescriptions. The cohort approached proficiency after approximately 600\u2013700 reviewed prescriptions, with prior experience accelerating the process. Incorporating curve monitoring into training programs can guide individualized instruction and provide an evidence-based benchmark for competence.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2026.1803176","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,16]],"date-time":"2026-07-16T11:10:29Z","timestamp":1784200229000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Application research of learning curve in the training of pharmacists for the review of narcotic and psychotropic drug prescriptions"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Jingjing","family":"Xu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, The Third People\u2019s Hospital of Chengdu","place":["Chengdu, Sichuan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Min","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, The Third People\u2019s Hospital of Chengdu","place":["Chengdu, Sichuan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xue","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, The Third People\u2019s Hospital of Chengdu","place":["Chengdu, Sichuan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Huijun","family":"Ren","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, The Third People\u2019s Hospital of Chengdu","place":["Chengdu, Sichuan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jiao","family":"Luo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, The Third People\u2019s Hospital of Chengdu","place":["Chengdu, Sichuan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Heng","family":"Xi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, The Third People\u2019s Hospital of Chengdu","place":["Chengdu, Sichuan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qin","family":"He","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, The Third People\u2019s Hospital of Chengdu","place":["Chengdu, Sichuan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2400","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-025-86189-3","article-title":"Practice and application of learning curve theory in improving prescription review skills in standardized training for pharmacists in medical institutions","volume":"15","author":"Xu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"741","DOI":"10.1007\/s10459-016-9709-2","article-title":"A primer on the statistical modelling of learning curves in health professions 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