The PhRMA Foundation’s new online educational series on safe and effective prescribing, featuring instruction from national experts, is now available for use.
Developed with the assistance of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Foundation for the NIH, American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (ASCPT) and the Reagan-Udall Foundation, the Safe and Effective Prescribing Initiative features five course modules, which are free and may be accessed from the PhRMA Foundation website.
Each module includes a video tutorial, led by an expert in prescribing; a self-assessment test; a case study; and a supplemental list of research and resources.
Topics include:
• Clinically Important Drug Interactions, with Sarah Robertson, PharmD, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
• Prescribing Drugs in Neonates, Infants, Children and Adolescents, with John N. van den Anker, MD, PhD, Children’s National Medical Center
• Assessment and Reporting of Adverse Drug Reactions, with Christine Chamberlain, PharmD, BCPS, CDE, of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Pharmacodynamics of Aging, with the late Darrell R. Abernethy, MD, PhD, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Obstetric Pharmacology, with Catherine M. Stika, MD, Northwestern University
Module users are encouraged to take the self-assessment test prior to viewing the module and again post-viewing to check what they have learned. The modules range in length from 34 to 55 minutes each.
This resource was launched in response to calls by the Association of American Medical Colleges and others for strengthened training in safe and effective prescribing for medical trainees.
Each of the modules has been designed in a way that makes them useful for a wide range of potential prescribers and others who need knowledge of safe prescribing – from medical, nursing and pharmacy students to established practitioners in all three disciplines.
The Foundation is also encouraging teaching staff at hospitals, medical centers and medical, pharmacy and nursing schools to use the modules as a supplement for their students.
We are confident that this new resource will better prepare current and future prescribers, strengthening patient safety and medical effectiveness in the United States. Help us spread the word!