Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 1 2013

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

A principle role of pharmacists is to dispense and provide advice on the use of a large range over the counter (OTC) and prescription only medications. This unit will provide knowledge on the therapeutic use of these medicines and reinforce the communication skills introduced in SCB208 'Introduction to Pharmacy Practice' that are necessary to effectively counsel patients on their proper use. In addition, this unit will provide therapeutic knowledge that will allow you to critically evaluate the safety and efficacy of the prescribed medication and the possible incidence and presentation of adverse effects in patients. An introduction to nutrition and diet will be provided by the Health Faculty.

Experiential placements will also commence during this unit which will reinforce the didactic content of this pharmacy practice unit and provide you with experience in community pharmacy environments. Additionally, this unit will facilitate the mastery of a wide range of basic pharmaceutical calculations which are imperative for the correct determination and validation of the prescribed doses of drugs the preparation of extemporaneous formulations.

Aims

The aims of this unit are to:

1. provide instruction on the correct use of a range of medications and the principles of Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) for gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, inflammation, allergies and minor pain states and introduce the use of pharmaceutical databases which contain information on the correct dosage, indications, contraindications and adverse effects of medications.
2. demonstrate effective communication and counselling methods used to convey the appropriate drug information to patients following the dispensing of medication or to patients seeking advice on their current medications and introduce the concepts of compliance, concordance and an understanding of health beliefs in patients
3. further develop your knowledge of legislation relating to Pharmacy Practice including the Poisons Act and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in relation to the labelling and supply of medication.
4. provide instruction on the use of pharmaceutical calculations to determine and validate the dosage of drugs.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. competently discuss the proper therapeutic use of a range of medications used in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, inflammation, allergies and minor pain states and effectively communicate advice to patients on their proper use and possible adverse effects.
2. demonstrate the proper use of dispensing software for the labelling of pharmaceutical products and the archiving of patient drug histories and display a familiarity with pharmaceutical database software that will allow the efficient retrieval of information regarding the indication, contraindication and therapeutic use of OTC medications.
3. competently discuss a range of health acts, Pharmacy Practice legislation and the principles of QUM.
4. correctly calculate the therapeutic dose of a wide range of pharmaceutical formulations.

Content

Pharmaceutical databases: Instruction in the advanced use of MicroMedex, eMIMS, and other information systems that contain drug information.

Dispensing Software: Advanced instruction on the use of WiniFRED dispensing software that allows the proper labelling of medications and the archiving of the drug history of patients.

OTC and Prescription Medications: Antihistamines and other allergy medications, drugs used to treat GIT complications including antacids, H2 receptor antagonists, proton pump inhibitors, antiemetics, antidiarrheals and stool softeners . Drugs for the treatment of obesity. Anti-inflammatory and weak opioid drugs for pain states including headaches, dysmenorrhea and sports injuries. Selective Cox-2 inhibitors.

Nutrition and Diet: Introduction to the basic principles of nutrition and diet will provide a framework for the proper counselling of patients in the use of vitamins, minerals and nutraceuticals. Exercise and health beliefs models.

Pharmaceutical Calculations: Formulae for the correct determination of drug doses including weight and volume percentages for active compounds, body weight and surface area of adult and paediatric patients.

Experiential Placements: A total of 24 hours of exposure to pharmacy practice methods in a community environment which will reinforce the lecture content of this unit.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

The subject matter will be presented to you as lectures (2 hours per week) and practical training in the counselling and dispensing of medicines will be provided in a model pharmacy environment (3 hours per week). Experiential placements in a community pharmacy environment of approximately 3 hours per week for 12 weeks will provide a practical demonstration of the concepts and techniques presented in this unit.

Assessment

A satisfactory performance (greater than 50%, unless otherwise stated in the assessment section) in all assessment tasks is required to obtain a passing grade for this unit.

In addition to submitting hard copies of your assessment you may be required to electronically submit all written assignments for content matching checks.Feedback will be provided on your progress.

Assessment name: Portfolio
Description: (Formative and summative) - Submission of labels and processed prescriptions from tutorials.
Relates to objectives: 2 and 3.
Weight: 10%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Weekly

Assessment name: Demonstration
Description: Assessment is by attendance record (hours completed), clinical placement performance report (pass/fail), and completion of a placement workbook (pass/fail).Weight: Pass/Fail.
Relates to objectives: N/A
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Weeks 2 to 10

Assessment name: Laboratory/Practical
Description: (Formative and summative) - Students must demonstrate competency in calculating patient doses and dilutions ie 100% is required for a pass. A mistake in this type of pharmaceutical calculation can result in patient mortality and/or morbidity.
Relates to objectives: 4.
Weight: 10%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 8

Assessment name: Examination (Theory)
Description: There are two written theory exams throughout the semester. The progress exam is formative and summative. Weighting 15%. There is also an end of semester theory exam. Summative. Weighting 20%.
Relates to objectives: 1 to 3.
Weight: 35%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Mid & End Semester

Assessment name: Examination (Practical)
Description: There are two practical exams throughout the semester. The progress exam is formative and summative. Weighting 15%. There is also an end of semester theory exam. Summative. Weighting 30%.
Relates to objectives: 1 to 3.
Weight: 45%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Mid & End Semester

Academic Honesty

QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.

A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.

Resource materials

1. Australian Medicines Handbook, Adelaide: AMH Pty Ltd. Current edition

2. Therapeutic Guidelines. Therapeutic Guidelines Ltd. 23-47 Villiers Street, North Melbourne, VIC, 3051

3. Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits. Canberra, ACT: Australian Govt Dept of Health and Ageing (available on-line).

4. Ansel HC, Stoklosa MJ (2001) Pharmaceutical Calculations, 11th edition. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins

Risk assessment statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with the on-campus mode of this unit. You will be made aware of evacuation procedures and assembly areas in the first few lectures. In the event of a fire alarm sounding, or on a lecturer's instruction, you should leave the room and assemble in the designated area which will be indicated to you. You should be conscious of your health and safety at all times whilst on campus. More information on health and safety can be obtained from http://www.hrd.qut.edu.au/healthsafety/healthsafe/index.jsp.

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 19-Feb-2013