Problem-based learning of pharmacology at the 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague
Teaching pharmacology at the 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic has been changed recently (during 1998-99) from the traditional teaching methods to the problem-based-learning (PBL) and teaching. Pharmacology is taught during the third and fourth year of the six-year study of medicine. Students of medicine go first (during the fifth semester) through the course of general pharmacology. Then (during the sixth, seventh and eigth semester) they go through several problem-based courses such as a course on Pain, Abdominal problems, Dyspnoe and chest pain, Psychical changes, etc. The typical procedure in teaching pharmacological aspects of these problems is as follows: after introductory pharmacology lectures on the particular subject students are given convenient case studies . They study the appropriate material (textbooks, drug databases, articles in medical journals) to solve the problem of the cases, and discuss it in small groups. At the end of course students report and discuss their solution at a seminar with a tutor. During some courses students can test drug effects on computer simulated preparations . They are also trained in prescription writing. Some databases and software used for this teaching are given in the enclosure (file databases.krsiak.doc) .
Databases, software and computers available to students in pharmacology practical room
1. Medical and Drug Databases: Medline; Current Contents (with abstracts); Micromedex (Drugdex, Martindale, PDR, P&T Quick); British National Formulary ; AISLP (Database of drugs registered in the Czech and Slovak Republic); Color Atlas of Dermatology
2. Pharmacological Databases/Software: Goodman & Gilmanžs The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 9th ed. (1996);
COMPUTER SIMULATED PHARMACOLOGICAL PREPARATIONS (PIDATA) : Simulated blood preasure and heart rate ; Simulated anterior tibialis žsciatic nerve ; Isolated vascular ring simulation ; Isolated ileum simulation ; Pharmacokinetic simulations (MWPharm) ; Selected case studies (In Czech ) ; Integrated Pharmacology (Page); Mosbys Success in Pharmacology (tests similar to USMLE) ; Mosbys Success in Neuroscience (tests similar to USMLE) ; Mosbys Success in Basic Sciences (tests similar to USMLE)
3. General Databases: Encyclopaedia Britannica (1997); Bible (King James version);
4. Software: Word 7, Excel 7, MS Office, WordPerfect Suite 7 , Internet , E-mail
Accessibility: Most of the databases, software and all computers in the pharmacology practical room (No. 523, Rusk 87, Prague 10) are primarily intended for regular scheduled teaching. However, our policy is to make them available also to individual students when the practical room is free. The individual access to the databases, software and computers (off regular teaching) in the pharmacology practical room is possible only after ad hoc registration in the Room No. 524. Instructive lessons giving examples how to work with many of these databases/software are available on request in he Room No. 524.