Case studies in community pharmacy: the contribution of family physicians to the teaching of community pharmacy

Abstract

With the role of pharmacists changing in recent years to encompass greater involvement in patient care, pharmacy teaching has also changed to meet the need. At the National University of Singapore, the Community Pharmacy module includes a lecture series on minor ailments. Family physicians from the Department of Community, Occupational and Family Medicine were involved in conducting a series of case study sessions to complement the lecture module. This was to give a practical perspective and problem-orientated approach to the material taught in the lectures. Simulated cases of situations commonly encountered in retail pharmacies were used. Students were divided into small groups for case preparation and presentation. Each presentation was followed by discussion, led by the family physicians, who were able to contribute from their training and experience to the students' learning. Feedback from the sessions was generally good. Suggestions were made for future improvement. Family physicians can contribute positively to the training of pharmacy students in the evaluation and management of minor ailments.