Undergraduate - UnitPAC2342 - Pharmacy in a public health context

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Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Offered	Sunway Second semester 2012 (Day) Parkville Second semester 2012 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Dr Safeera Hussainy (Parkville); Dr David Wu Bin-Chia (Sunway)

Synopsis

This unit puts the practice of pharmacy and delivery of pharmacy services in a public health context. It emphasises a population perspective for health policy as well as clinical decision-making.

Students will develop an understanding of:

1. Definitions and issues in public health including the socio-environmental determinants of health.
2. The role of pharmacy in a public health context.
3. The Australian National Medicines Policy and the Quality Use of Medicines Strategy.
4. The nature, role and development of health policy.

Students will develop abilities in:

1. Applying population-based evidence to improve clinical decision-making.
2. Performing and interpreting the results of statistical tests that are relevant to evidence based practice
3. Applying health economic principles to medicines use.
4. Dispensing, including clinical problem-solving.
5. Performing pharmaceutical calculations building on previous knowledge.

Students will develop an appreciation of:

1. The roles of other health proferssionals and their relationship to pharmacy.
2. Key issues around medicines promotion and international health.

Outcomes

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Describe the broad public health perspectives and framework for providing therapeutic services and care to patients, and for working with other health care professionals.
2. Discuss the process for formulating health policy and the impact of various health policies.
3. Describe the roles of other health care professionals.
4. Discuss the principles and application of the Quality Use of Medicine Strategy of the National Medicines Policy.
5. Systematically conduct a literature review and a subsequent critical appraisal to answer a clinical enquiry.
6. Interpret the results of statistical tests when critically appraising the literature to answer a clinical enquiry.
7. Perform statistical tests that are frequently used in the reporting of health care research and that underpin evidence based practice.
8. Dispense medicines and solve clinical problems.
9. Perform pharmaceutical calculations relevant to the practice of pharmacy.

Assessment

Evidence-based practice assignment: 20%; Dispensing exam: 10%; Supervised Calculations module: 10%; Final exam (3 hour): 60%.

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Safeera Hussainy

Contact hours

Parkville campus: 35 hours of lectures, 2 hours of group tutorials, 12 hours of group practicals, and 6 hours of a formative assessment activity.
Sunway campus: 35 hours of lectures, 2 hours of group tutorials, 2 hours of workshops, 13 hours of group practicals/site visits, and 6 hours of a formative assessment activity.

Prerequisites

PAC1311 Pharmacy, Health and Society I
PAC1322 Pharmacy, Health and Society II
PAC2331 Pharmacists and Communicators

Additional information on this unit is available from the faculty at:

http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/