Organisational and general information on the subject
Dear students,
Let me once again welcome you to the Applied and Clinical Pharmacology course. This way, I am sending you some instructions:
Classes organization:
- Classes run throughout the semester, specifically from September 21 to December 21, 2023.
- Classes are scheduled for Thursday from 16,00 till 17,40 PM at SIMU - classroom F37/346.
- There is a public holiday on September 28 and there is no class on this day.
- The sequence of the classes corresponds to the sequence of the chapters of the interactive syllabi - the first topic is Clinical pharmacology of analgesics, pain management. You will be informed of any changes in advance.
- 21.9. Clinical pharmacology of analgesics, pain management + Drug policy, reasonable prescribing
- 28.9. Public holiday
- 5.10. Clinical pharmacology of antiepileptic
- 12.10. Principles of drug dosing in patients with hepatic insufficiency
- 19.10. Applied drug-drug interactions
- 26.10. Clinical pharmacology of antibiotics, principles of antibiotic therapy in ICU
- 2.11. Dose adjustment in renal insufficiency, nephrotoxicity of drugs
- 9.11. Applied pharmacology of antithrombotics
- 16.11. Therapy of symptoms associated with cancer treatment
- 23.11. Clinical pharmacology of targeted therapy in oncology
- 30.11. Clinical pharmacology of antipsychotic drugs, pharmacotherapy of delirium
- 7.12. Clinical trial interpretation, EBM and critical thinking
- 14.12. Clinical pharmacology of diuretics, pharmacotherapy of ion disbalances
- 21.12. Clinical pharmacology of antihypertensives; drug-induced hypertension; hemodynamics and pharmacokinetics
Is attendance compulsory?
No, attendance is voluntary. However, for a successful and comfortable lesson for all, it is advisable to have as much attendance as possible. Therefore, we have decided to reward attendance with points for the final test:
- attendance at 13-14 (the 14th one is a public holiday) classes out of 14 scheduled will earn you 4 points,
- attendance at 11-12 classes out of 14 scheduled will earn you 3 points,
- attendance at 9-10 classes out of 14 scheduled will earn you 2 points,
- attendance at 7-8 classes out of 14 scheduled will earn you 1 point,
- attendance at 6 or fewer classes out of 14 scheduled will not earn you any extra points.
Do I need to prepare for the class?
Yes, home preparation is desirable but not mandatory.
- Classes are conducted as team-based learning (TBL) lessons in which we focus on the application of all acquired knowledge and training of practical skills in dealing with a virtual patient.
- For clarity, interactive syllabi are prepared for each class in IS. The interactive syllabus guides you through both the relevant pre-class reading and supplementary lectures and allows for basic knowledge practice through tests.
- The ideal start is to open the interactive syllabus of the topic,
- then read the chapters of the pre-class reading and listen to the supplementary video lectures,
- answer the questions in the pre-class reading, and complete the application exercises there,
- and test your knowledge in the ROPOT test in the interactive syllabi.
- This is the end of the preparation. In total, you will always have one week to complete it. However, all materials remain open after you have completed the course.
- The last chapter of the interactive syllabi does not have the equivalent of a TBL lesson at this time, so it is intended for self-study.
Pre-class reading, including a printable version, can be found at the following link:
How does a team-based learning (TBL) lesson work?
- The TBL lesson is based, as the name indicates, on collaboration in teams.
- The basis of the lesson is a case report of a virtual patient. Although the patient is virtual, he or she typically has a real-life counterpart. This gives him/her a realistic dimension, and therefore you as students get to deal with issues that you may commonly encounter in clinical practice.
- The virtual patient is preceded by a rapid assessment test. This is a multiple-question test that you first solve individually, then in a group, and finally discuss the solution with the whole group. The questions for this test do not have to be simple and straightforward. On the contrary, they are intended to stimulate reflection and discussion.
- At the end of the lesson, there is then a planned time for discussion, clarification, elaboration, and evaluation of what you found new, surprising, or perhaps too easy. What do you take away from the lesson and how do you imagine applying the knowledge and skills in practice.
What is required to successfully complete the course?
To complete the course, you must earn a minimum score on the final online test. The final test consists of 25 multiple-choice questions, but only one correct answer each time. The test is usually divided into 3 case reports - each one has an introductory case description followed by several questions, followed by a case development, and again several questions. The test will be arranged similarly to the virtual patients dealt with in the classes. The time limit for elaboration is 45 minutes. A 60% correct response rate (i.e., 15 points) is required to pass the course. Participation in TBL classes will be reflected in the final score. For example, if you participate in all TBL lessons, you will earn 4 points, so 11 points on the test (45%) will be enough to pass the course.
What will the final test look like?
To familiarize you with the format of the questions in the final test, we make available training test in the ROPOT - the link to the ROPOT will be here:
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us, ideally via the discussion forum - your question and perhaps also our answer may be of interest to others.
On behalf of the team of teachers
Jitka Rychlíčková