TEACHING CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY OF UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL STUDENTS IN EUROPE: CURRENT TRENDS AND PROSPECTS. Review

Abstract

Relevance. Among the professional competencies, a graduate of a medical faculty should not only determine drugs for the treatment of typical diseases, but also be able to correct errors in prescribing; warn, identify and report adverse drug reactions; advise patients on the correct intake of drug, etc., providing effective, safe and economically justified pharmacotherapy. These professional competencies are acquired when studying the discipline "Clinical pharmacology”. Objective – to consider the current data on teaching of the discipline "Clinical pharmacology" to students of medical faculties in European institutions of higher education. Methods. Analysis of data presented in PubMed using the keywords "clinical pharmacology", "undergraduate education", "medical". Results. Clinical pharmacology, as an educational discipline, is based on the data of evidence-based medicine and modern treatment standards, but at the same time teaches the personalized use of drugs (based on deep knowledge of pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenetics), while the patient receives the "right" drug, in the "right" dose, which allows you to minimize the risk of side effects and reduce adherence to therapy. Every £1 invested in clinical pharmacology saves £6 by reducing prescribing errors and adverse drug reactions, tackling polypharmacy and more. In 2018, European experts in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics reached a consensus on the key learning outcomes of students of medical faculties, - 34 competencies were developed (knowledge with 20 subcategories, skills with 11 subcategories, attitudes – with 3 subcategories), a plan for an integrated context-oriented European educational program in clinical pharmacology and therapy. Conclusions. The developed system of problem-oriented, integrated into the educational program of medicine, study of “Clinical pharmacology and therapy" in European institutions of higher education allows to ensure a uniform standard of prescription of drugs by graduates of medical faculties.