38 lectures, 8 hours of tutorials and 36 hours of practical work
Since a large amount of time spent by a pharmacist is in one-to-one communication with patients, doctors and other members of the health profession, the students will be taught the rudiments of oral and written communication skills and will learn aspects of human behaviour so as best to undertake the counselling of patients when dispensing medicines. This segment of the subject forms part of a motivational and educational component to the student for the studentship period at the end of first year. It also serves as a prerequisite for the second-year subject in pharmacy practice which will cover counselling, social pharmacy and illness behaviour in depth. It should also be remembered by the student that the ideals of modern day pharmacy practice as enunciated during these early lectures and practicals in `Pharmacy practice I' must be carried over into other areas of the course and into the subsequent years of the pharmacy course and the traineeship year. The major aims of this subject are to provide students with a knowledge and understanding of the legal, ethical, behavioural and scientific requirements for the dispensing of medicines. This, in turn, is closely aassociated with `Pharmaceutics I'. The subject is also designed to instil in students an ability to express concern, compassion and sensitivity in patient care through an understanding of human behaviour.
General objectives
In this teaching program students are expected to develop:
understanding of the ethics and professional roles of pharmacists and the historical background to the pharmacy profession; the role of pharmacists as primary health-care providers; the delivery of pharmacy services as part of the health-care team; the types of employment for pharmacists; the pharmacist-patient relationship and the pharmacist-physician relationship; the legal and professional requirements of a prescription and its recording and processing; sources of information on drugs and drug products and how to obtain such information; appropriate pharmacy-oriented human behaviour, including abnormal behaviour; the pharmacy of a range of commonly used drugs;
abilities in the areas of oral and written communication; the dispensing of medicines to individual patients with due regard for the legal, therapeutic and professional requirements; the recording of prescriptions and patient details; the importance of accuracy and an eye for detail in the dispensing of medicines;
an appreciation of the relationships existing between drugs, medicines and patients; the concept of professionalism and the responsibilities associated with being a professional; the culture and ethos of pharmacy as it relates to the total health-care setting.
Syllabus
n Professional pharmacy
Historical aspects and the roles of modem day pharmacists. The development of pharmacy as a profession. Pharmacy and medicine, professional roles of the pharmacist, ethical considerations. Role of the pharmacist in the maintenance of patient's health. The health care system in Australia.
The prescription. The model prescription, the legal requirements of a prescription, types of prescriptions, common pharmaceutical Latin abbreviations. Trade names, generic names. The role of the pharmacist in relation to the physician, the prescription and the patient. Recording of prescriptions and patient profiles.
Dispensing. The qualities of a properly dispensed medicine. Dispensing drill as applied to pharmacy practice.
Legal aspects of pharmacy. Sources of formulae, legal precedents for standards, introduction to the Pharmacists Act and Regulations, the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act, Schedules to the Act and Regulations.
The pharmacy of a selected group of commonly used drugs. Their pharmacy and their various presentations.
n Communications in pharmacy practice
The use of English. Introduction to what constitutes good written English. Styles of English. Layout and presentation for essays etc. Introduction to good oral communications skills.
Report writing. The main features of a report. Clarity of style. Conclusions of reports. References and bibliography.
Use of library. Functions of library. Services offered. Introduction to classification systems used in the Victorian College of Pharmacy. Optimum use of the library. Searching techniques and the computers involved.
n Human behaviour
Nature of human behaviour. Approaches, scope, research and measurement, the place of human behaviour in the health profession.
Development. Factors governing development, early years, cognitive development, personality and social development, identification, adolescence, search for identity, middle years, old age, how to relate to geriatric patients.
Perception. An overview, perceptual processes. Prescription reading and perception, patient/professional perception.
Consciousness and control. Consciousness, sleep, dreams, psychoactive drugs and consciousness. The non-therapeutic use of drugs.
Conditioning and learning. Classical, operant conditioning, reinforcement, cognitive and individualising learning. Learning procedures and good counselling.
Remembering. Memory, short term, long term, improving memory, aids to memory, improving patient compliance.
Emotions and motivation. Motivational concepts, basic drives, hunger, obesity, sex, theories of motivation, aggression, emotion, emotional expression, motivation and the pharmacist, motivation and the patient.
Mental abilities. Genetic and environmental determinants of intelligence, testing aptitude and achievements, effect of age on body processes and intelligence, communication with less able individuals.
Personality and its assessment. Shaping of personality, approaches to personality, trait, social learning, psychoanalytic, phenomenological, the noncompliant personality.
Abnormal behaviour. An introduction to the classification of psychopathologies as laid down by the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd revised edition) (DSMIIIR). Handling difficult clients.
Conflict and stress. Frustration, anxiety, stress, defence mechanisms. Illnesses related to stress. The health professional and stress.
The therapies. Patients' symptoms, attitudes, means of modifying behaviour in a positive direction. Applications to patients.
Practical
Practical classes are designed to provide experience in dispensing.
Twelve 3-hour sessions in the dispensing of medicines
A three-hour session will also be held in which each student will present a 5-10 minute oral dissertation to the group on a given aspect of drug use as depicted by `self care' cards. In conjunction with the lectures and practicals a `drug in profile' will be displayed each week. Students are expected to maintain records of the pharmacy of these `drugs in profile'.
Textbooks
Recommended texts
Atkinson R L and others Introduction to psychology 11th edn, HBJ, 1993
or
Peterson C and others Psychology. An introduction for nurses and allied health professionals Prentice-Hall, 1992
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Australian pharmaceutical formulary 15th edn, PSA, 1992
Pharmacy Board of Victoria Office consolidation 2nd edn, PBV, 1987
Pharmacy Board of Victoria Pharmacy board guidelines PBV, 1995
Thompson N Written communication 8th edn, Macmillan, 1986
Victorian College of Pharmacy Human behaviour handbook VCP, 1995
Victorian College of Pharmacy Pharmaceutics I/Pharmacy practice I practical manual VCP, 1995
Reference books
AMA The Australian Medical Association guide to medicines and drugs Readers Digest, 1990
Smith M C and Knapp D A Pharmacy drugs and medical care 5th edn, Williams and Wilkins, 1992
Journal references
Australian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy
Australian Journal of Pharmacy
Australian Pharmacist
Assessment
Subject assessment will reflect the learning objectives outlined above. Methods of assessment will include:
Progress examination (May) (1.5 hours): 10%
Essay (2000 words): 15% *.Practical work: 10%
End-of-year examination (2.5 hours): 65%
Dispensing: Students are required to reach a satisfactory level of competence in dispensing by the end of the course