COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT - CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS
The University of Cape Town, in collaboration with the World Health
Organisation Drug Action Programme and the University of Groningen
Faculty of Medicine will be holding the first
AFRICAN COURSE FOR PROBLEM BASED PHARMACOTHERAPY TEACHING
25 November - 6 December 1996
University of Cape Town, South Africa
COURSE OBJECTIVE
To teach teachers of pharmacology and therapeutics to equip their
students with adequate skills and knowledge to prescribe drugs
rationally. The course will enable participants to plan, develop and
implement this problem-based teaching method at their local medical
school or teaching institution.
COURSE RATIONALE
Irrational drug choice is prevalent in both the industrialised and
developing countries. As a result drug therapy may prove ineffective,
unnecessarily expensive or unsafe. Contempory medical education
emphasises diagnosis. Undergraduate teaching in therapeutics is still
a neglected topic in most institutions. To respond to the need to
teach the skills needed for rational drug choice and prescription, a
teaching method was developed by the University of Groningen (the
Netherlands), based on the theories of problem-solving and normative
decision analysis. The University of Groningen is unable to meet the
demand from therapeutics teachers in Africa to participate in their
Summer Course on Problem-based Pharmacotherapy Teaching.
The Department of Pharmacology of the University of Cape Town (UCT)
has been selected as the most suitable medical school to host the
African Course for Problem-based Pharmacotherapy Teaching. This
decision was based on UCT's insights into the needs of teachers in
medical schools in Africa, and its particular interest in medical
education. By hosting this course the Department of Pharmacology is
supporting its mission as a World Health Organization Collaborating
Centre to promote the rational use of medicines in the sub-Saharan
Africa region.
COURSE METHOD
The African Course is based on the methodology developed by the
University of Groningen, with some adaptation of the course content
to better meet the needs of therapeutics teachers in Africa. It
introduces a logical, step-by-step approach to a patient problem:
setting therapeutic objectives, selecting appropriate (pharmaco)
therapy, and monitoring the response to therapy. It also emphasises
the importance of correct prescribing and good patient-doctor
communication.
COURSE RESULTS
The effects of the Groningen method were evaluated in 1991 and 1992
in 7 medical schools in developed and developing countries. The
results showed that the training course significantly improved the
ability of students to solve written patient problems. Both retention
of these skills and the ability to transfer these skills to new
patient problems were present at least 6 months after the training
session, in all 7 medical schools.
COURSE FACILITATORS
The course will be jointly facilitated by staff of the Universities
of Cape Town and Groningen.
COURSE PARTICIPANTS
Lecturers and teachers of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at Medical
Schools and Postgraduate Teaching Institutions are invited to
participate in this course. Unfortunately, only English-speaking
participants can be accomodated as the course will be conducted in
English.
COURSE FEE
The course fee is US$ 2 900; including full board and lodging,
tuition fees and educational material, but excluding travel expenses.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
1 August 1996
MORE INFORMATION
For more information, and requests for registration and funding
application forms, please contact:
Julia Stallard
Postgraduate Conference Division
University of Cape Town Medical School
Observatory 7925
South Africa
email: julia@medicine.uct.ac.za
tel: 27-21-406 6407
fax: 27-21-448 6263