A training program incorporating a Problem-Oriented System (POS) with Problem-Based Learning (PBL) was introduced into the clinical pharmacy course of the pharmaceutical sciences graduate school at Fukuoka University. The POS training consisted of 7 processes for each of the 3 clinical case scenarios that we designed (case # 1 : asthma, case # 2 : hypertension, case # 3 : hyperlipemia). The requirements on the participants in finding and solving problems were increased during the training in the numerical order of the 3 cases. Our participation consisted of managing the POS training schedule and role-playing as patients (process 4). Students made SOAP notes on the role-playing (process 6) and looked for solutions to the problems (process 7). For each clinical case, students gained an understanding of the principles of pharmacotherapy, drew up hypothetical schemes for pharmaceutical care, worked out the problems and discussed them together in small groups. On conducting a questionnaire survey of the students' impressions of the training program, they made meaningful comments with regard to working together in the group discussions and the handling of problems. These findings indicate that our original POS program involving PBL was useful in raising students' problem solving skills and would help them to provide optimum pharmaceutical services.
