¿Û¿Û´«Ã½

Misconceptions in pharmacology can undermine learning and compromise both clinical and scientific reasoning, yet few validated tools exist to identify them. Consequently, we developed and validated the Pharmacology Concept Inventory (PCI), which can be used to identify misconceptions, assess learning gains, and evaluate teaching effectiveness. This PCI was designed based on the IUPHAR-Education Section (IUPHAR-Ed) Core Concepts of Pharmacology Project, addressing eight core concepts: drug efficacy, drug-target interaction, steady-state concentration, structure-activity relationship, drug tolerance, drug bioavailability, volume of distribution, and drug clearance. A triangulated design strategy integrated theoretical frameworks, expert review, and student perspectives. Experts examined quality, content validity, and cognitive alignment. The pilot PCI was then administered to a student cohort to evaluate its psychometric properties, providing preliminary evidence for further refinement. Item-level content validity indices ranged from 0.67 to 1.00, with a scale-level average of 0.93. Seventy students completed the pilot survey, leading to the exclusion of items with low discrimination and reliability. Items on drug-target interaction were removed due to consistently poor performance. The final PCI included 26 items covering seven concepts, with strong discrimination indices (0.36-0.75) and difficulty indices (0.26-0.71). Internal consistency was high (Cronbach's alpha = 0.91), and concept-level reliability ranged from 0.64 to 0.85. The PCI provides strong evidence for identifying misconceptions and assessing learning outcomes through a pre-post-test approach. Although the PCI currently addresses only a subset of concepts, continued refinements informed by surveys and interviews will enhance its utility and expand its scope for concept-based learning and curriculum evaluation.

Adverse drug event (ADE) reports submitted by veterinary professionals are essential for monitoring the safety and efficacy of marketed veterinary products. Despite this, the majority of veterinary ADEs are not reported. Further education on the topic of pharmacovigilance has been widely explored in human healthcare as a potential facilitator for reporting. To guide design of an enhanced pharmacovigilance curriculum for veterinary professionals, a better understanding of student veterinary professional pharmacovigilance training is required. Therefore, we investigated the current UK pharmacovigilance curriculum through a survey of veterinary educators. In total, there were 17 responses from UK-based training providers, six relating to undergraduate veterinary surgeon training and 11 relating to training in veterinary nursing. All students received some pharmacovigilance training, which appeared to be largely didactic in nature. A total of 29.4% of respondents indicated that students are provided the opportunity to submit a practice ADE report. Exploration of the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of students with regards to this training would be useful in assessing quality and opportunities for enhancement. Development of shared resources which provide students with access to 'real world' examples of ADEs would support development of practical skills in identifying, managing, and reporting ADEs.

Background: Antibiotic resistance increasingly threatens the interconnected health of humans, animals, and the environment. While misuse of antibiotics is a known driver, environmental factors also play a critical role. A balanced One Health approach—including the environmental sector—is necessary to understand the emergence and spread of resistance. Methods: We systematically searched English-language literature (1990–2021) in MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science, plus grey literature. Titles, abstracts, and keywords were screened, followed by full-text reviews using a structured codebook and dual-reviewer assessments. Results: Of 13,667 records screened, 738 met the inclusion criteria. Most studies focused on freshwater and terrestrial environments, particularly associated with wastewater or manure sources. Evidence of research has predominantly focused on Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas spp., with a concentration on ARGs conferring resistance to sulphonamides (sul1–3), tetracyclines (tet), and beta-lactams. Additionally, the People’s Republic of China has produced a third of the studies—twice that of the next country, the United States—and research was largely domestic, with closely linked author networks. Conclusion: Significant evidence gaps persist in understanding antibiotic resistance in non-built environments, particularly in marine, atmospheric, and non-agricultural set65 tings. Stressors such as climate change and microplastics remain notably under-explored. There is also an urgent need for more research in low-income regions, which face higher risks of antibiotic resistance, to support the development of targeted, evidence-based interventions.

The competency-based veterinary education (CBVE) framework describes essential domains of competence and related abilities for veterinary graduates. Translating these outcomes into daily teaching is a challenge, particularly regarding the underpinning basic and clinical science knowledge. In this article, we identified a lack of specific reference to the selection and use of drugs within the CBVE framework; this requires pharmacological knowledge and pharmacology-specific competencies. To fill the gap and provide guidance to veterinary pharmacology educators, we first identified competencies within the CBVE framework relevant to the field of veterinary pharmacology. We then mapped the Day One competencies in veterinary pharmacology published by Werners and Fajt in 2021 to the pharmacology-relevant CBVE competencies. This exercise has led to identifying gaps, redundancies, and a lack of reference to clinical practice within the Day One competencies in veterinary pharmacology, as well as gaps and ambiguous wording within the CBVE framework. Further research is necessary to update the Day One competencies in veterinary pharmacology, align basic and clinical pharmacology concepts and skills with the CBVE framework, embed pharmacology-specific competencies into teaching, and identify progression milestones that guide students toward safe prescribing and the appropriate and effective use of drugs.

Pharmacodynamics is an essential subdiscipline of pharmacology that underpins safe and effective prescribing and therapeutic decision-making, as well as drug discovery and development. The exponential increase in the number of therapeutic drugs has prompted members of the pharmacology educator community to question existing pharmacology curricula focused on individual drugs and move toward a curriculum focused on conceptual understanding. A first step towards conceptual understanding is to establish what students currently know about pharmacodynamic core concepts. A total of 218 students from 10 universities were invited to complete a questionnaire that assessed their understanding of drug efficacy, drug-target interaction, drug tolerance, and structure-activity relationship. Pairs of pharmacology experts independently assessed each student’s response and flagged any misconceptions that arose. The experts then compared their evaluations, achieved a consensus decision, and grouped the misconceptions into themes. Less than 25% of students provided core concept meanings that fully aligned with those of the expert group. By contrast, more than 75% of students could apply the core concept to a novel scenario at least in part. Overall, 480 misconceptions were identified and grouped into 55 misconception themes. The concept of drug efficacy was the core concept with which students struggled most. It is unclear why students were better able to apply their knowledge than to define the core concepts, although this might reflect a focus on active learning in pharmacology courses globally. The deficits in defining and understanding pharmacodynamic core concepts, and the misconceptions revealed in student responses, can be used by educators to guide their efforts. •This study included 218 students across 6 countries and 10 universities.•Student conception and application of 4 pharmacodynamic core concepts were analysed.•Student conceptions of the core concepts varied widely from expert definitions, whilst performance on application tasks was slightly better.•Fifty-five misconception themes were coded from 480 instances.•Misconceptions relating to drug efficacy arose in questions relating to 3 concepts.

Both educators and graduates have expressed concern about a perceived pharmacology knowledge gap that includes difficulty applying fundamental principles to clinical and research problems. Consequently, we sought to determine the extent to which current students can explain the meaning of, and appropriately apply, a subset of core concepts, and to identify any misconceptions arising from the responses. Of the twenty-four pharmacology core concepts arising from the recent international collaboration, four pharmacokinetic concepts were chosen, namely drug bioavailability, drug clearance, volume of distribution, and steady-state concentration. A total of 318 students from 11 universities across seven countries chose to participate in this study. Expert analysts identified the essential elements for each concept, then independently assessed each student's response. Teams of two experts compared their evaluations to reach a consensus and grouped misconceptions thematically. For each core concept, less than 30% of students provided responses that encompassed all essential elements. Participants found drug clearance most challenging, generally conflating it with the rate of elimination, whereas they demonstrated a better understanding of drug bioavailability. There were 34 misconception themes coded in a total of 813 statements, with volume of distribution and drug clearance producing the highest numbers (13 and 12, respectively). Overall, results suggest that students found it easier to apply the concept than to explain its meaning, which might reflect the shift from didactic to active learning approaches. These findings may be useful for educators who are developing introductory pharmacokinetic courses by providing conceptual focus and revealing common misconceptions to explicitly address. [Display omitted] •Student understanding of four pharmacokinetics core concepts was assessed.•This study included 318 students across seven countries and 11 universities.•Thirty-four misconception themes were coded across a total of 813 instances.•Misconceptions about drug clearance and volume of distribution were the most common.

The Core Concepts of Pharmacology (CCP) initiative is developing educational resources to transform pharmacology education into a concept-based approach. This study evaluated the quality of global educator-created MCQs in generating items for the pharmacology concept inventory (PCI) instrument and developed as a resource for learning pharmacology fundamental concepts. A panel of 22 global pharmacology experts recruited from the CCP initiative research team participated in the MCQ pilot database design and evaluation. The quality analysis framework of the MCQs in the pilot database included four assessment tools: item writing guidelines (IWGs), Bloom's taxonomy, the CCP, and the MCQ design format. A two-phase evaluation process was involved, including inter-rater agreement on item quality, followed by resolving conflicts that occurred in quality assessment. The chi-square (χ ) test of independence and Cramer's V correlation tests were utilized to measure the relationship among quality assessment attributes. About 200 MCQs were gathered and 98% underwent expert evaluation. Nearly 80% addressed one or more CCP, with 52% designed using a context-dependent format. However, only 40% addressed higher levels of Bloom's cognitive domain and 10% adhered to all IWGs. A strong positive correlation was observed between the context-based item format and its effectiveness in assessing the higher cognitive domain, the main CCP and improved IWGs adherence. Context-based item construction can assess the higher cognitive skills and fundamental pharmacology concepts, showing potential for rigorous PCI development. The pilot database will store items to create the PCI, aiding the development of a concept-based pharmacology curriculum.

Development of core concepts in disciplines such as biochemistry, microbiology and physiology have transformed teaching. They provide the foundation for the development of teaching resources for global educators, as well as valid and reliable approaches to assessment. An international research consensus recently identified 25 core concepts of pharmacology. The current study aimed to define and unpack these concepts. A two-phase, iterative approach, involving 60 international pharmacology education experts, was used. The first phase involved drafting definitions for core concepts and identifying key sub-concepts via a series of online meetings and asynchronous work. These were refined in the second phase, through a 2-day hybrid workshop followed by a further series of online meetings and asynchronous work. The project produced consensus definitions for a final list of 24 core concepts and 103 sub-concepts of pharmacology. The iterative, discursive methodology resulted in modification of concepts from the original study, including change of 'drug-receptor interaction' to 'drug-target interaction' and the change of the core concept 'agonists and antagonists' to sub-concepts of drug-target interaction. Definitions and sub-concepts of 24 core concepts provide an evidence-based foundation for pharmacology curricula development and evaluation. The next steps for this project include the development of a concept inventory to assess acquisition of concepts, as well as the development of case studies and educational resources to support teaching by the global pharmacology community, and student learning of the most critical and fundamental concepts of the discipline.