Plenary Lecture
Implementation of Clinical Pharmacology Course in the Curriculum for Pregraduate Medical Students and Its Vital Importance
Dr. Hundie Tesfaye
Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pathobiochemistry
Division of Clinical Pharmacology
Faculty Hospital in Motol
2nd Faculty of Medicine
Charles University
Prague, Czech Republic
E-mail: hundie.tesfaye@fnmotol.cz
Abstract: General pharmacology is usually taught as a preclinical subject during the early years of studying medicine. In most countries, the practice of medicine begins in the years before graduation and in most medication errors are blamed on newly qualified young Physicians, who have not had a thorough grounding in Clinical Pharmacology, therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), and Clinical Toxicology, when treating special populations and clinical conditions in particular. Evidence of poor prescribing is widespread including overuse of medicines, underuse of effective medicines, events of avoidable adverse drug reactions. Junior doctors who have recently graduated may be responsible for much of the prescribing that takes place in hospitals and are implicated in many of the adverse medication events. Analysis of such events suggests that lack of knowledge and training underlies many of them and dedicated training can make improving. It is a matter of increasing concern that recent changes to undergraduate medical education may have reduced exposure to clinical pharmacology, a discipline dedicated to optimal practice in relation to medicines. In modern medical practice and this era of evidence based medicine, students may learn from many sources including high quality scientific literatures, books, both in hard copy and electronic forms. With the large amount of theoretical information that medical students need to absorb there is little time to learn about rational pharmacotherapy and its application to patient management. Therefore the teaching of clinical pharmacology including therapeutic drug monitoring before graduation may be a valuable method of training future young physicians in order to lead to better drug utilization and rational prescription.
The aim of this paper is to demonstrate innovative and visible way of better educating medical students for better medicine utilization and optimal patient care by case oriented interactive teaching and learning methodology.
Brief Biography of the Speaker: The author is MD, and PhD graduate of the Charles University, in Prague. Trained as Paediatrician and later as Clinical Pharmacologist, holds Board Certificate from the Institute for Postgraduate Education in Medicine. His present position is consultant in clinical pharmacology at the faculty hospital. The main interest and consultancy area of the author is in particular therapeutic drug monitoring in needy patients including, paediatric and geriatric populations given their pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic differences and vulnerability. The author participated in bioequivalence studies and clinical trials including as principal investigator and co-investigator. He is also dedicated to aid dosage adjustment for transplantation patients, oncology patients and others in intensive care including those with renal failure. The author participates in pregraduate and post graduate education both as a faculty member and as invited speaker in the field of clinical pharmacology. With dedication for safe and better use of medicines for human wellbeing, the author is recently recipient of a grant FRVS 2011 to include clinical pharmacology education in the curiculum targeting 5th year medical students.