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eDrug: a dynamic interactive electronic drug formulary for medical students

2006; Wiley; Volume: 62; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1365-2125.2006.02777.x

1365-2125

Simon Maxwell, Daniel S. McQueen, Rachel Ellaway,

Pharmaceutical Practices and Patient Outcomes

What is already known about this subject • Delivering education about an ever‐increasing number of prescribable drugs to medical students represents a major challenge. • Drug names are generally not logical or intuitive, and many students find learning them akin to learning a foreign language. • Pharmacology and therapeutics teaching is struggling for visibility in some integrated medical curricula. What this study adds • Development of electronic tools allowing web delivery of a restricted student formulary facilitates dynamic access to core learning materials, improves the profile of this aspect of the curriculum and is highly appreciated by students. Aims Prescribing drugs is a key responsibility of a doctor and requires a solid grounding in the relevant scientific disciplines of pharmacology and therapeutics (PT). The move away from basic science disciplines towards a more system‐based and integrated undergraduate curriculum has created difficulties in the delivery of PT teaching in some medical schools. We aimed to develop a web‐based strategy to overcome these problems and improve the PT learning experience. Methods We designed and introduced ‘eDrug’, a dynamic interactive web‐based student formulary, as an aid to teaching and learning of PT throughout a 5‐year integrated medical curriculum in a UK medical school of 1300 students. This was followed by a prospective observational study of student‐reported views about its impact on their PT learning experience. Results eDrug was rated highly by students and staff, with the main benefits being increased visibility of PT in the curriculum, clear identification of core drugs, regular sourcing of drug information via direct links to accredited sources including the British National Formulary, prioritization of learning, immediate access and responsiveness. It has also served as a focus of discussion concerning core PT learning objectives amongst staff and students. Conclusions Web‐based delivery of PT learning objectives actively supports learning within an integrated curriculum.