Development of new problem-based learning to promote problem-solving ability in therapeutics at Meijo University

Pharmacy students in the six-year education system are expected to combine their knowledge obtained from many lectures and to develop problem-solving abilities in therapeutics. These two expectations are considered to be difficult in the conventional education system. Therefore we introduced a new problem-based learning (PBL) method in the class on "pharmacotherapeutics," which was held in the first semester of the fourth year. In the PBL modules, students studied the etiology, pathology, and appropriate drug therapeutics of a given disease and obtained the knowledge and skills necessary for monitoring patients during treatment. We conducted 12 PBL modules, and students studied one case per module, each lasting a week. To encourage constructive group work and to generate original input formats to provide students with a problem-solving road map, we developed new systems including a class review and portfolio. The new PBL method also included lectures on the overview of each disease and the therapeutic agents (action mechanism, physical properties, pharmacokinetics, and monitoring of the efficacy and adverse reactions). By integrating their knowledge and skills, we hope that the students will be able to acquire problem-solving abilities in therapeutics when they become pharmacists.