Teaching Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics with an Emphasis on the Therapeutic Reasoning of Undergraduate Medical Students

Overview

Journal Eur J Clin Pharmacol

Specialty Pharmacology

Date 2008 Jan 30

PMID 18228012

Citations 28

Authors

Milan C Richir

Jelle Tichelaar

Eric C T Geijteman

Theo P G M de Vries

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The rational prescribing of drugs is an essential skill of medical doctors. Clinical pharmacologists play an important role in the development of these skills by teaching clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (CP&T) to undergraduate medical students. Although the approaches to teaching CP&T have undergone many changes over the last decennia, it is essential that the actual teaching of CP&T continues to be a major part of the undergraduate medical curriculum.

Objectives: The learning objectives of CP&T teaching in terms of developing the therapeutic competencies of undergraduate medical students are described, with an emphasis on therapeutic decision-making. On the basis of current theories of cognitive psychology and medical education, context-learning is presented as an effective approach by which to achieve therapeutic competencies. An example of a CP&T curriculum is presented.

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