Young doctors in training phase...

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" Don't Know Much About Pharmacy "

Study finds residents lax on drug knowledge

By Edelson

HealthSCOUT Reporter

Young doctors in their training phase as residents aren't learning enough

about the use of medications, an Alabama study finds.

Better education is clearly needed, says a report in the Southern Medical

Journal by Dr. Bobbi B. Adcock and colleagues in the University of Alabama

School of Medicine department of family medicine.

" A systematic, comprehensive pharmacotherapy curriculum, including

significant drug interactions, significant ADRs [adverse drug reactions] and

new medications, should be considered by primary care residences, " the

report says.

That's a good suggestion, but " simple education is not the entire answer, "

says Myers, vice president for professional and scientific affairs

of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

" Drug therapy changes over time and there always are going to be new drugs

introduced, " Myers says. " What we need in addition to better education is

that pharmacists be available on a continuing basis to physicians. They

could participate in physicians' rounds or be located in patient areas for

advice. "

The Alabama study tested 78 residents in the primary care program of the

school. They were given a series of detailed questions -- for example, what

serious side effects might a specific painkilling drug cause in a

53-year-old man being treated for a muscle strain.

The results showed important gaps in knowledge. Scores on the test ranged

from 11 to 43 out of a possible 50. And " 91 percent of residents believed

they could benefit from more formal instruction in pharmacotherapy, " the

Alabama team reports.

" The report supports the statement by the health and policy committee of the

American College of Physicians that physicians need improved education in

rational therapeutics, " their report says.

Pharmacists as teachers

Myers agrees, and says the society has some suggestions to offer. " The basic

premise that education by persons familiar with pharmacotherapy is good, " he

says. " We believe that pharmacists should be among those educators. When

learners like medical residents and pharmacist residents work together in a

learning environment, they learn to rely on one another and develop a team

approach which later on should be very positive. "

Better education might quell some of the fears reported by hospital

patients. A recent study of 1,008 adults by the pharmacists' society,

reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that 61

percent were " very concerned " about being given the wrong medicine, 58

percent were concerned about being given drug combinations that could cause

negative interactions, and 49 percent about getting too much medicine.

Another study co-sponsored by the association found that problems caused by

drugs dropped by 66 percent in one hospital when a pharmacist began

accompanying doctors on their rounds.

What To Do

Stop a problem before it starts. If you're worried about possible adverse

drug reactions, tell your doctor. Let him or her know everything you're

already taking, so you'll avoid mixups.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the Institute for Safe

Medication Practices, and the National Patient Safety Foundation are good

places to visit if you're interested in drug safety. [sPONSORS???]