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Background: Pharmacology is a cornerstone of medical education as it underlies safe prescribing practices. However, medical students have reported unease regarding their perceived proficiency in medical pharmacology. Despite the significant impetus to improve student outcomes, there is little analysis available of the techniques used by medical students to learn, retain and apply medical pharmacology knowledge., Methods: A mixed-methods, student-focused approach was conducted to design and evaluate specific resources developed to address gaps in pharmacology education. This methodology comprised an anonymised scoping survey, followed by semi-structured focus group interviews. We then developed a flashcard resource as an intervention to support long-term revision for academic and clinical success. This resource was released to a cohort of 100 graduate entry preclinical medical students who were invited at the end of year to evaluate the intervention via a subsequent anonymous survey., Results: The scoping survey received 103 complete responses. Surveys and focus group interviews revealed that only 50% of students engage in ongoing revision. Amongst our cohort, we identified that the evidence-based technique of spaced-repetition was particularly well regarded. Hence, we developed and evaluated a bespoke resource utilising Anki™, an open-source, spaced-repetition flashcard program. A total of 1208 flashcards spanning 156 distinct classes of drugs with supplementary summary tables, diagrams and explanatory video and summary guides were created. Designed as a strategic revision tool to reinforce learning, evaluation showed students greatly appreciated the "comprehensive" and "well formatted" Anki™ resource that supported existing teaching modalities, with a global rating of 3.8 out of 5., Conclusions: Strategic and personalised resources for medical pharmacology education that assist with in-semester revision and long-term retention are highly valued amongst students for examination preparation and preparedness for practice. Collectively, these results reflect a novel approach to identifying and addressing weaknesses in existing learning resources in a manner that is inclusive of, and acceptable to, medical students., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

This paper explores clinical nurses' perceptions and experiences of graduate nurses' pharmacology knowledge. Six focus group interviews were conducted with clinical nurses of various appointment levels at two metropolitan public and two regional public hospitals in Victoria, Australia. Four major themes emerged from the study. First, participants indicated that graduate nurses had an overall lack of depth of pharmacology knowledge. While clinical nurses indicated that graduate nurses had enormous deficits in their pharmacology education, these deficits were not confined to graduate nurses--all nurses experienced difficulties in understanding and demonstrating pharmacological concepts in the clinical practice setting. Second, there was an unstructured approach to addressing the continuing education needs of graduate nurses. Third, theoretical and clinical principles of pharmacology knowledge were perceived to be important for practice. Fourth, improvements for nursing education involved the need for undergraduate students to take greater responsibility in monitoring and administering medications and the need for more structured learning experiences. The ultimate goal of consolidating pharmacology knowledge for graduate nurses is to optimise medication use, thereby improving the health outcomes of patients. Current teaching and learning opportunities appear to be inadequate in their efforts to enhance and improve graduate nurses' pharmacology knowledge. These inadequacies need to be addressed if the ultimate goal is to become a reality., (Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd.)

Background: Nurses have key responsibilities in the administration and management of medication therapy and client education. It is of some concern therefore that the literature indicates that nurses are inadequately prepared in this area., Aims: This paper explores the perceptions and expectations of lecturers about teaching and learning pharmacology in preregistration nursing courses., Research Methods: Questionnaires were distributed to lecturers involved in teaching pharmacology to undergraduate nursing students during 2000. The questionnaire was distributed to all university campuses (n = 13) in Victoria, Australia, that are involved in undergraduate nursing education. The questionnaire was an adaptation of the survey instrument used in the Nursing and Medication Education [NAME] project and examined in this questionnaire: the integration of pharmacology teaching into nursing, range and depth of classroom-based pharmacology teaching, approaches to teaching and learning, nursing practice in a clinical context, related importance of patient education and communication skills, and the appropriate professional background of academics teaching pharmacology to preregistration nursing students., Results: There was great variation between institutions as to the number of hours devoted to pharmacology and when it was offered. A number of respondents indicated that they were dissatisfied with the preparation of graduates and their knowledge base in pharmacology., Limitations: The study was limited by a low response rate of 34%., Conclusions: A review of nursing curricula is required to improve the knowledge base of nurses in pharmacology and to facilitate their skills in life-long learning.

This paper explores the perceptions and experiences of lecturers and undergraduate nursing students relating to teaching and learning issues in pharmacology. A total of 14 focus group interviews were conducted at 10 university settings, which involved seven academic staff and seven student interviews. The focus group interviewing method was used because it enabled all participants to have 'a say', facilitated the expression of diverse views, and allowed participants to express themselves without fear that their views would be openly criticised. Student participants comprised second and third year undergraduate nurses while lecturer participants involved course coordinators, subject coordinators, and bioscience and nursing lecturers. The 'framework' method was used for data analysis, which involved the following stages: familiarisation, identifying a thematic framework, indexing, charting, and finally, mapping and interpretation. Four major themes emerged from discussions with lecturers and students: teaching considerations, learning considerations, the relationship between pharmacology knowledge and clinical practice, and the features of an 'ideal' programme in pharmacology. The findings highlighted that potential conflicts existed among academic staff relating to the balance of pharmacology and nursing content in curricula, which often led to over-laden curricula. Potential conflicts also existed between lecturers and students about the value placed on a separate pharmacology subject as opposed to an integrated pharmacology programme. In summary, there is still much scope for educational initiatives to improve students' knowledge of pharmacology and medication management., (Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd.)