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Pharmacology has broadened its scope considerably in recent decades. Initially, it was of interest to chemists, doctors and pharmacists. In recent years, however, it has been incorporated into the teaching of biologists, molecular biologists, biotechnologists, chemical engineers and many health professionals, among others. Traditional teaching methods, such as lectures or laboratory work, have been superseded by the use of new pedagogical approaches to enable a better conceptualization and understanding of the discipline. In this article, we present several new methods that have been used in Spanish universities. Firstly, we describe a teaching network that has allowed the sharing of pedagogical innovations in Spanish universities. A European experience to improve prescribing safety is described in detail. The use of popular films and medical TV series in biomedical students shows how these audiovisual resources can be helpful in teaching pharmacology. The use of virtual worlds is detailed to introduce this new approach to teaching. The increasingly important area of the social aspects of pharmacology is also considered in two sections, one devoted to social pharmacology and the other to the use of learning based on social services to improve understanding of this important area. Finally, the use of Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation in pharmacology allows to know how this approach can help to better evaluate clinical pharmacology students. In conclusion, this article allows to know new pedagogical methods resources used in some Spanish universities that may help to improve the teaching of pharmacology., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None, (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Objective: Because the cancer population is aging, interprofessional education incorporating geriatric principles is essential to providing adequate training for oncology fellows. We report the targeted needs assessment, content, and evaluation tools for our geriatric oncology curriculum at MD Anderson Cancer Center., Methods: A team comprising a geriatrician, a medical oncologist, an oncology PharmD, an oncology advanced nurse practitioner, and two oncology chief fellows developed the geriatric oncology curriculum. First, a general needs assessment was conducted by reviewing the literature and medical societies' publications and by consulting experts. A targeted needs assessment was then conducted by reviewing the fellows' evaluations of the geriatric oncology rotation and by interviewing fellows and recently graduated oncology faculty., Results: Geriatric assessment, pharmacology, and psychosocial knowledge skills were the three identified areas of educational need. Curriculum objectives and an evaluation checklist were developed to evaluate learners in the three identified areas. The checklist content was validated by consulting experts in the field. Online materials, including a curriculum, a geriatric pharmacology job aid, and pharmacology cases, were also developed and delivered as part of the curriculum., Conclusion: An interprofessional team approach was a successful method for identifying areas of learners' educational needs, which in turn helped us develop an integrated geriatric oncology curriculum. The curriculum is currently being piloted and evaluated., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: To cultivate students' ability to use the pharmacology principles in medical practice, case-oriented self-learning and review has partly replaced lecture-based teaching in our pharmacology course. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of an innovative teaching model in pharmacology teaching on the performance of medical undergraduates., Methods: A total of 185 third-year medical students participated in the study in 2011 and 2012. The students were randomized into the study group (case-oriented self-learning and review) and control group (traditional lecture-based teaching). Examination performances between the students in the 2 groups were compared, and questionnaires were designed for both the students participating in the study group and the teachers to assess the new teaching method., Results: Mid-term examination performances in 2011 and 2012 were significantly better for the students in the study group than those in the control group (P<0.01). On the final examination in 2011, significantly more students received an assessment of "excellent" in the study group than in the control group (P<0.05). Moreover, students in the study group performed better than those in the control group on the final examination in 2012. The data from the questionnaires indicated that both teachers and students in the study group generally held positive attitudes toward the innovative teaching model., Conclusions: Case-oriented self-learning and review can improve students' internalization of basic pharmacological principles and provide a greater opportunity for self-study and collaborative study. The examination composition can affect the efficacy of the assessment of problem solving abilities.

Objective: To invite comments and suggestions from the phase I trialists, the world over, on the design and rationale provided by us for conducting a mock phase I trial for training clinical pharmacology residents., Methods: The trial will be conducted by clinical pharmacology residents of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research. After a thorough evaluation of Preclinical toxicity data of a pharmaceutical product provided by a dummy pharmaceutical firm, a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, parallel group design with dose escalation of the product will be carried out. A single dose administration will be followed by monitoring the participants for 24 h and again at one week. After obtaining results of the previous group, the next higher dose will be administered. Evaluation of the learners will be done by two independent teachers who will mark them for actual conduct of the study and writing a report of the study. Subsequently, we will try to publish the results of the mock trial and invite further comments., Conclusions: This trial designed primarily for training purposes will be instrumental in equipping the residents with the expertise for conducting phase I trials.