Abstract
Objective: In pharmacy school, most faculty members use generic names when discussing medicine; however, in clinical clerkships, most staff members use brand names. This sometimes leads to poor communication and understanding between the students and medical staff. The purpose of this study was to clarify the need for a tool to improve communication and understanding in relation to drug information. Based on the findings of this survey, our secondary aim was to develop and subsequently evaluate such a tool.
Methods: To clarify the need for a self-learning tool, we conducted a questionnaire survey on 58 faculty members who teach courses on drug informatics. Based on their responses, we then developed a self-learning tool that was subsequently evaluated by a total of 78 undergraduate students.
Results: Most of the faculty agreed concerning the necessity of a self-learning tool for drug information, particularly in regard to the establishment of a more user-friendly system and reduced user fees for students. The faculty also believed that students should be able to associate the generic drug name with various kinds of information, including its safety, efficacy, and brand name. All students agreed that the tool was helpful, very easy to use, and could be learned during their commute to school.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that most faculty members support the idea of having a tool capable of promoting a better understanding and grasp of drug information. Therefore, our self-learning tool should be helpful in promoting increased knowledge concerning drug information for students in clinical clerkships.
