Plenary
Lecture
Implementation of Clinical Pharmacology Course in the
Curriculum for Pregraduate Medical Students and Its
Vital Importance
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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.
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