Methods and Findings in Experimental
and Clinical Pharmacology
Vol. 24, Suppl. A, 2002, pp. 29-30
ISSN 0379-0355
Copyright 2002 Prous Science, S.A.
CCC: 0379-0355/2002
http://www.prous.com
Is it Possible to Define a Basic Content of Pharmacology for any Student from Health Sciences Schools? A proposal for a Core Curriculum
J.E. Baños, I. Bellido, M.V. Clos, M.D. Ivorra, J.J. Meana and S. Sánchez
Teaching and Education Group, Spanish Society of Pharmacology
Pharmacology has become a common discipline at health sciences schools. Innitially, pharmacology was only taught to medical and pharmacy students, and only later was it considered a required science for veterinary, dentistry and nursing students. However, in recent decades, pharmacology has also become common in many health science-related schools, such as psychology, optics and optometry, physical therapy and biology. For those teachers who have started a course of pharmacology in these schools, the decision of what to teach has not often been an easy experience.
The Teaching and Education Group (TEG) of the Spanish Society of Pharmacology has established as one of its first goals to define what basic contents should be included in the pharmacology syllabuses in the health-sciences fields. To reach this objective, the TEG has collected and analyzed the syllabuses of medicine, pharmacy, veterinary and dentistry schools to obtain the most exhaustive knowledge of what is taught in Spanish universities. The different topics were quantified by their presence and the number of hours taught. In the first step, core curricula were devised for each university school (see Clos, 2002; Ivorra, 2002; Meana et al., 2002 and Sánchez, 2002 in the current issue). In the second step, topics that were present in three of the four proposed curricula were considered to be included in the final core curriculum for health sciences. The proposed core curriculum for health science schools is as follows:
General principles of pharmacology
introduction; mechanisms of transport and absorption; distribution; biotransformation and metabolism; excretion; pharmacokinetics; pharmacodynamics; and drug interactions and adverse effects
Pharmacology of the autonomous nervous system
general concepts on neurotransmission; pharmacology of the adrenergic system; pharmacology of the cholinergic system; pharmacology of the autonomic ganglia and of the neuromuscular junction; and local anesthetics
Pharmacology of the cardiovascular system and renal function
diuretics; pharmacology of myocardial ischemia; antihypertensive agents; pharmacology of heart failure; antidysrhythmic drugs and lipid-lowering agents; and drugs acting on hemostasis and thrombosis
Pharmacology of the inflammatory and immune responses
general principles; histamine and histamine blockers; steroidal and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs; antirheumatic drugs and drugs used in the treatment of gout; and immunosuppressant drugs
Pharmacology of the respiratory system
bronchodilators and antiasthmatic drugs; antitussive agents; and expectorants and mucolytics
Pharmacology of the central nervous system
general principles; hypnotics and anxiolytics; anticonvulsant and central muscle relaxant drugs; antidepressant agents; antipsychotic drugs; drugs used in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases; opioid analgesics; and general anesthetics
Pharmacology of gastrointestinal function
pharmacology of gastric secretion; and drugs that affect gastrointestinal motility and antiemetics
Pharmacology of endocrine function
adenohypophyseal hormones and hypothalamic releasing factors, thyroid and antithyroid drugs, pharmacology of calcium and bone turnover, pharmacology of sex hormones and pharmacology of endocrine pancreas
Chemotherapy
general principles; antiseptic and disinfectant drugs; antibacterial agents; antifungal agents; drugs used to treat parasitic infections; antiviral agents; and anticancer drugs
Miscellaneous topics
(additionally recommended to be included by the TEG): gene therapy; pharmacology of drug dependence; psychostimulants; research and development of new drugs; clinical trials; postmarketing drug surveillance; and pharmacogenomics
This proposal should be considered as a draft for drawing up a core curriculum of pharmacology for health-science students and to initiate the discussion to reach a general agreement on its usefulness.
Methods and Findings in Experimental and
Clinical Pharmacology Vol. 24, Suppl. A, 2002, pp. 29-30
ISSN 0379-0355 Copyright 2002 Prous Science, S.A. CCC: 0379-0355/2002 http://www.prous.com