Evolution of pharmacology education in India: Past and future

Abstract

Pharmacology education has passed through various stages in the evolution sequence due to ever-changing type and repository of drugs as well as technological advancements in the educational processes. This article reviews the journey of evolution of pharmacology education. Pharmacology is relevant component of various curricula in medical, dental, and paramedical courses. A huge number of students learn pharmacology as a subject. Important milestones in evolutionary sequence included revisions and updates in learning objectives, teaching-learning material/methods and assessment in undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) levels. During this period, a number of pharmacology organizations and associations were formed for the progress of the subject. The inception of Indian Pharmacological Society and International Union of Pharmacology is worth mentioning. There are standardization and unification efforts being done in pharmacology education at national and international levels. The era of animal experimentation is struggling to survive in the new era of animations and simulations. There is increasingly more emphasis on the relevant clinical pharmacy and clinical pharmacology components in the education. The past evolutionary sequences provide leads for future evolutions. New courses and innovations are being designed and implemented to make pharmacology education more meaningful and useful to the new technology-savvy students. A number of innovations in the form of case-based learning, objective-structured practical examination, small group learning, interactive, and integrated methods are being implemented. There is a lot of work being done to introduce a competency-based intergraded curriculum in medical UG and PG courses. All these evolutionary sequences require changing and evolving role of teachers as facilitators.

The Variation in Pharmacology Subject Achievement Levels Between two Assessment Methods in Undergraduate Medicine

“…Revisions and updates to learning objectives, teaching-learning materials and techniques, and evaluation at the Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate (PG) levels were significant turning points in the evolutionary sequence. Teaching and evaluation methodologies used for pharmacology are undergoing several improvements [23][24][25].…”

Teaching and learning pharmacology in Brazil before COVID-19 pandemic: a case study in Rio de Janeiro

“…In this context, pharmacology is a mainstream basic science in the study of Medicine and is one of the crucial subjects found in basic and clinical medical curricula [4][5][6][7][8][9]. However, teaching and learning pharmacology is a complex task.…”

Perception and preferences of second professional undergraduate medical students for pharmacology teaching: a questionnaire based cross-sectional study

“…However, some innovative methods such as problem-based learning (PBL), casebased learning, clinical case presentations and seminars are being exercised by few institutes. 4 The undergraduate teaching in pharmacology has changed in recent years with adoptions of new methods that focus on supportive learning through novel teaching approaches like small group discussions, role plays, computer assisted learning (CAL), using audio-visual (A-V) aids, clinical pharmacology studies etc. These are being adopted by more and more medical colleges at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.…”

“…Clinical pharmacology exercises include rational prescribing, adverse drug reaction (ADR) monitoring, pharmacokinetic calculations, pharmacodynamic toxicity, drug interactions and pharmacotherapeutics. 4 A seamless progression from basic principles through clinical pharmacology and then on to applied therapeutics has been suggested to be beneficial for medical students regarding proper teaching of pharmacology. 7 The instructional methods used to teach pharmacology in our institution include lectures, tutorials, and practical sessions such as prescription writing, criticism on rationality of prescriptions, pharmacy practicals and demonstration of experimental pharmacology with CAL using A-V aids or using live animals.…”