FRM2040 – Use of Drugs, Part I

Course content

On this course, students will systematically build up their competence in the use of medicines, by bringing together subject-specific knowledge from several pharmaceutical disciplines (physiology, pharmacotherapy, microbiology, community pharmacy and pharmacognosy). The course is introduced with a general section, which goes into subjects of a general nature that are relevant to the use of medicines, including knowledge of the law, pharmaceutical care and information about medicines. Particular emphasis is put on the significance of patient compliance. The placebo concept is also thoroughly described. In the subsequent specialised section, the use of medicines is taught (including physiology, pathophysiology and the etiology of disease) in diseases of the following organ systems: digestive organs, blood and blood-forming organs, skin. Use of medicines for infectious diseases is treated as a subject in its own right. The various subject areas are mainly taught on an integrated basis and around PBL themes. Other forms of teaching are used in between the PBL group meetings in order to expand upon and illustrate the PBL theme. For each teaching week, detailed objectives have been developed, sub-divided into knowledge objectives, skills objectives and affective objectives.
This course, along with courses FRM3020 – Use of Drugs, Part II (discontinued) and FRM3030 – Use of Drugs, Part III (discontinued) will create a complete picture covering the use of medicines in Norway.

Learning outcome

After completion of each subject area, the student will have gained skills so that he/she:
? can describe the pathogenesis, etiology and symptomatology of individual diseases
? can account for the principles surrounding the medicinal therapy in question
? can suggest an appropriate medicine
? can suggest an appropriate dose of the medicine
? knows the most important “problem medicines” that require special precautionary measures for dosage and use
? can assess the advantages and possible interaction risk when several medicines are taken concurrently
? can identify the probable side effects of medicines
? can asses medicinal therapy in relation to other non-medicamental treatment
? can judge what sort of information is important to give out to different patient groups so that the medicine will be used properly
The course covers the most important diseases of the specified organ systems (see above) that are open to medicamental prophylaxis and therapy. The teaching will be concentrated on the most important/frequently occurring diseases and disease groups, and on subjects where the pharmacist’s work is especially important.

Admission

The course is only available to studenter enrolled at the School of Pharmacy at the University of Oslo.

Prerequisites

Formal prerequisite knowledge

In order to participate in this course and to sit for the exam, all earlier Pharmacy courses up to and through FRM2010 must be passed and all manditory activities from FRM2020 and FRM2030 must be approved.

Health, Safety and Environment (HSE)
There are compulsory HSE courses