THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
FACULTY OF MEDICINE, DENTISTRY AND HEALTH SCIENCES

OVERVIEW
Lectures in Clinical Pharmacology are distributed throughout the year. Broadly speaking, they address either practical considerations in general prescribing (e.g. dosing in the elderly, in renal disorders, in liver disorders or in pregnancy), in the drug management of common disorders (e.g. pain) or in the management of poisoning. Additionally, information on pharmacology and therapeutics that is relevant to individual PBLs will be posted on the Web, where relevant. Commonly, this information will be in the form of reminders or links to the appropriate pharmacology teaching from 3rd year. Learning modules have also been released by the National Prescribing Service (NPS: a federally-funded body that is responsible for disseminating accurate prescribing information) at their website. UWA 4th year students have access to the completed modules that are relevant to PBLs. Addresses, IDs, passwords and more detailed instructions will follow. The modules will be used in support of some of the Pharmacology teaching.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students will understand and be able to apply practically the principles of pharmacology, as learned in Medical Pharmacology 4451 and 4452, to selected commonplace areas of therapeutics (eg palliative care, drug addiction, pain management, seizures, Parkinson’s disease) and also on more general aspects of drug treatment, where physiological or pathology-induced changes in drug response need to be understood for safe, effective prescribing (eg prescribing principles, prescribing for the elderly, in renal dysfunction, and in pregnancy and lactation, therapeutic drug monitoring, medication errors, pharmacoeconomics, and drug overdose and poisoning).

UNIT MATERIAL
Lecture and supporting materials will be available on the WebCT site http://webct6.uwa.edu.au. Lecture handouts will usually be provided. It is anticipated that lectures will be recorded via iLectures.

RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOK
Instant Clinical Pharmacology. Evan J. Begg. Blackwell Publishing, 2003
(ISBN 1-4051-0275-6).

The lectures that address practical considerations in general prescribing (approximately half of the total course) will follow the sequence of this text and refer to it. The book is a good general guide to prescribing, dosing and drug choice principles and will remain useful throughout clinical years and beyond.

ASSESSMENT MECHANISM STATEMENT
This pharmacology and therapeutics course begins your development as a safe, effective prescriber. The main intention of assessment is to measure this development, and ensure that the safety of future patients is not threatened by dangerous misunderstanding. Where examiners identify misunderstandings that seriously threaten patient safety, their advice to the Board of Examiners will be against granting a pass in the unit, regardless of the marks scored in assessments.

All material presented via lectures, tutorials and additional materials on WebCT is assessable, in the form of case-based learning, summative assessment and in the end of year written examination. Students are expected to supplement the lecture material by reading the appropriate chapter in the textbook or other specific recommended materials.

NATIONAL PRESCRIBING SERVICE CASES
For the most part they are a Self Directed Learning Exercise, although 2 cases will have some pre-instruction from A/Prof Joyce and Dr Beer respectively. Each case is worth 3.5% of the final mark, and this will be examined via a specific questionnaire on WebCT. These questionnaires will open from midnight on the day the case is timetabled and close at midnight (same week day) 2 weeks later.

The NPS cases have a summative assessment attached to them, and are not specifically re-examined in the two formal summative papers (June and October). There would be two exceptions to this generalisation. Firstly, NPS material often relates to material that you have met in other parts of the course, and which might be liable for examination in that context. Secondly, you must retain the professional skill of writing a valid prescription, so you could be required to write a script, or answer questions regarding rational and safe prescribing, anywhere in assessment.

REMEDIATION
Remediation is a poor, and usually inadequate substitute for continuous learning in context. Students whose performance predicts a risk of failing the unit will be advised after the mid-semester summative examination and given directions on study techniques and reminded of the location of course materials for remediation purposes.

ASSESSMENT DATES
Summative 21st June Material covered 26th Feb to 7th Jun inclusive
Final Exam to be announced Material covered in the whole course.

SUPPLEMENTARY EXAMINATIONS
If a student is granted a supplementary examination by the Board of Examiners, this will usually be held in the period nominated by the University examinations office.

DEFERRED EXAMINATIONS
If a student is granted a deferral of either the summative paper or the final exam, the deferred examination will be held in the period nominated by the University examinations office (January).

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
All forms of cheating, plagiarism and copying are condemned by the University as unacceptable behaviour. The Faculty’s policy is to ensure that no student profits from such behaviour. Generally a failure will be recorded for the subject in which the cheating has occurred. Serious cases shall be referred to the University’s Board of Discipline. All students should note that cases of copying are automatically reported to the Sub-Dean and documentary evidence along with associated correspondence is placed on the student’s permanent record.