A Case-Based Toxicology Elective Course to Enhance Student Learning in Pharmacotherapy

Stacy D. Brown; Brooks B. Pond; Kathryn A. Creekmore

doi:10.5688/ajpe756118

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Table 1.

Content Overlap of a Toxicology Elective with Pharmacology III and Pharmacotherapy II Courses

Toxicology Elective Content	Content Overlap With:
Toxicology Elective Content	Pharmacology III	Pharmacotherapy II
Introduction to toxicology and risk assessment, introduction to emergency management of toxicological emergencies		√
Routes of toxic exposures and classification of effects (local vs. systemic, reversible vs. irreversible, etc), dose-response relationships		√
Target organ toxicity		√
Toxicokinetics and Toxicity testing using in vitro and in vivo models
Principles of chemical carcinogenesis and mutagenesis
Principles of reproductive and developmental toxicology
Principles of radiation toxicology; historic radiation-related accidents
Toxicity of therapeutic agents: sedative/hypnotics, anticholinergic drugs, and neuroleptic drugs	√	√
Toxicity of therapeutic agents: acetaminophen, salicylates, NSAIDs, and steroids		√
Toxicity of therapeutic agents: cardiovascular drugs		√
Toxicity of potential drugs of abuse: opioids and sympathomimetics	√	√
Toxicity of potential drugs of abuse: hallucinogenic agents	√
Toxicity of vitamins, herbs, and alcohols		√
Toxicity of metals		√
Agents of biological and chemical warfare		√

Abbreviations: NSAIDS: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

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Table 2.

Comparison of Baseline Statistics, Mean (Standard Deviation), for Pharmacy Students Enrolled and Not Enrolled in a Toxicology Elective

Parameter	Pharmacotherapy II Cohort^a		PCOA Cohort^a
Parameter	Enrolled in Elective Course (n = 14)	Not Enrolled in Elective Course (n = 59)	Enrolled in Elective Course (n = 23)	Not Enrolled in Elective Course (n = 29)
BGCOP GPA	3.4 (0.5)	3.3 (0.4)	3.5 (0.3)	3.5 (0.4)
Undergraduate GPA	3.5 (0.5)	3.4 (0.4)	3.4 (0.4)	3.4 (0.4)
Math/Science GPA	3.4 (0.5)	3.3 (0.7)	3.3 (0.4)	3.3 (0.5)
PCAT Composite	77.9 (15.1)	72.3 (11.8)	72.9 (17.4)	73.3 (11.5)

Abbreviations: GPA=grade point average; PCAT=Pharmacy College Admission Test; PCOA=Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment; BGCOP=Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy.
a Groups tested for significant difference using unpaired t test with Welch's correction (P < 0.05); no significant differences were found between groups.

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Table 3.

Comparison of Pharmacology III and Pharmacotherapy II (Toxicology Module) Scores Between Students Enrolled in a Toxicology Elective and Those Not Enrolled

	Pharmacology III		Pharmacotherapy II (Toxicology Module)
	Enrolled in Elective Course (n = 14)	Not Enrolled in Elective Course (n = 59)	Enrolled in Elective Course (n = 14)	Not Enrolled in Elective Course (n = 59)
Final Examination Score, Mean (SEM)	88.1 (2.1)	87.1 (0.93)	89.5 (2.0)	83.9 (1.8)
P	0.69		0.048
95% confidence interval	-3.9 to 5.7		0.042 to 11.1
R square value	8.9 × 10^-3		0.10
Are means significantly different? (P < 0.05)	No		Yes

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Table 4.

Comparison of PCOA Overall and Toxicology Subsection Scores for Pharmacy Students Enrolled and Not Enrolled in a Toxicology Elective

	PCOA Overall		PCOA Toxicology Subsection
	Enrolled in Elective Course (n = 23)	Not Enrolled in Elective Course (n = 29)	Enrolled in Elective Course (n = 23)	Not Enrolled in Elective Course (n = 29)
Percent Score, Mean (SEM)	64.7 (5.6)	64.9 (4.8)	91.3 (4.0)	67.2 (5.7)
P	0.98		1.2 × 10^-3
95% confidence interval	-15.0 to 14.7		10.0 to 38.1
R square value	1.1 × 10^-5		0.20
Are means significantly different? (P < 0.05)	No		Yes