Case-Based Learning in Pharmacy Practice: Observations from an Indian Pharmacy College
Mohanraj Rathinavelu *
Department of Pharmacy Practice, Raghavendra Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (RIPER) Autonomous, Anantapuramu, Andhra Pradesh, 515721, India.
Siddu Naveen Kumar Reddy
Department of Pharmacy Practice, Raghavendra Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (RIPER) Autonomous, Anantapuramu, Andhra Pradesh, 515721, India.
Sagarika Karanam
Department of Pharmacy Practice, Raghavendra Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (RIPER) Autonomous, Anantapuramu, Andhra Pradesh, 515721, India.
Sneha Latha Jonnagadla
Department of Pharmacy Practice, Raghavendra Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (RIPER) Autonomous, Anantapuramu, Andhra Pradesh, 515721, India.
Sravani Jollireddy
Department of Pharmacy Practice, Oil Technological and Pharmaceutical Research Institute JNT University Anantapur, Anantapuramu, Andhra Pradesh, 515002, India.
Dipak Dnyandeo Bharambe
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, P D Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Center, Mahim, Mumbai, 400016, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Today, it's getting harder to learn a career in pharmacy. In addition to self-guided individual learning, pharmaceutical educators are required to find and adopt ways that support higher-level thinking, collaborative learning, and student motivation. One strategy to achieve these aims is to develop and use case-based learning as an addition to traditional teaching techniques. They support learner-centered, small-group, interactive learning experiences as opposed to large-group, teacher-centered, didactic instruction. A cross-over study between two groups equally exposed to both didactic lectures and case-based pedagogy musculoskeletal system diseases and drug therapy; which involves assessment of perception and small group responses towards case-based learning. The outcome of which is further investigated by administering an objective structured clinical examination. The vast majority of the students reported satisfaction with case-based learning sessions and highly appreciated this method of teaching pharmacotherapy of musculoskeletal system diseases. In our study, more than 93.22% of the students opined that they enjoyed sessions and it held their interest and motivated them to learn better. The ‘t-test between post-test 1 and post-test 2 scores was statistically significant with a P value of 0.0001. This suggests that CBL is effective in students’ learning, and reinforces important concepts, strengthening information retention and long-term memory. In conclusion, the perception of pharmacy practice students towards case-based learning is highly contented and encountered a very positive impact on understanding and retention of knowledge in musculoskeletal system diseases and drug therapies.
Keywords: Cross over, didactic lectures, perception, post-test, pharmacy practice