CSB530 Pharmacotherapeutics for Podiatrists
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | CSB530 |
|---|---|
| Prerequisite(s): | CSB601 and CSB520 |
| Equivalent(s): | LSB584 |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| CSP student contribution | $1,192 |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $4,704 |
| International unit fee | $4,848 |
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2026, Kelvin Grove, Internal
| Unit code: | CSB530 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Pre-requisite: | CSB601 and CSB520 |
| Coordinator: | Aaron Robertson | a10.robertson@qut.edu.au |
Overview
This unit develops a theoretical foundation for professional podiatry practice in pharmacotherapeutics based on the relevant regulatory frameworks as defined by the Podiatry Board of Australia. This unit extends your knowledge and application of pharmacotherapeutics for the medicines prescribed and administered in professional podiatry practice in Australia. It emphasises effective medication history-taking and management, guided by the Podiatry Board of Australia’s professional standards, including the list of scheduled medicines approved by the Podiatry Board of Australia. Co-taught with the Discipline of Pharmacy, the unit introduces you to essential Australian resources in pharmacotherapeutics to support safe and evidence-based prescribing and Quality Use of Medicines (QUM).
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Critically analyse the pharmacology and therapeutic indications of podiatric pharmacotherapeutics, considering diverse patient needs and interprofessional perspectives in the management of podiatric conditions.
- Acquire and evaluate information about a patient’s medical, clinical, and pharmacological history, incorporating social and cultural contexts, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, to inform safe and effective prescribing.
- Evaluate and apply evidence-based information to guide the appropriate, ethical and sustainable use of medicines in podiatric practice.
- Promote personal accountability for safety, quality assurance, and risk management in diverse healthcare settings, ensuring cultural safety and compliance with legal and regulatory frameworks for sustainable prescribing practices.
Content
The content of the unit includes the following:
- The mechanisms of action, contraindications, adverse effects and interactions of the drug classes used by podiatrists in diagnosis, treatment, management and rehabilitation of podiatric conditions (antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, local anaesthetics, drugs to treat acute hypersensitivity reactions, anxiolytics)
- Medication history taking, emphasizing the incorporation of diverse perspectives, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledges and perspectives, to inform shared management planning and pharmacotherapeutic decision-making
- Evidence-based prescribing practices to ensure safe, high-quality, and patient-centered care, in accordance with National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) and National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Care Standards (Clinical Governance, Medication and Clinical Safety, and Partnering with Consumers)
- Sustainability in the context of Quality Use of Medicines (QUM), emphasizing antimicrobial stewardship, reducing environmental and resource waste, promoting rational prescribing, and supporting equitable and responsible access to pharmacological treatments.
- The role of the National Prescribing Service in guiding best practice, and setting national competency standards
- The principles of the national strategy for the quality use of medicines: Implications of the national medicines policy and therapeutic goods regulation for the quality use of drugs in podiatry practice.
- Skills for professional development, including use of primary and secondary resources including databases and websites such as the Therapeutic Guidelines, Australian Medicines Handbook (AMH), Monthly Index of Medical Specialties (MIMS), Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and the National Prescribing Service (NPS)
- Application of professional guidelines and other resources in clinical scenarios focusing on drug treatment and management of podiatric conditions.
Learning Approaches
In this unit, you will learn through engaging with online pre-recorded lectures prior to attending weekly tutorials, either in person or online. In the tutorials, you will engage in case-based learning activities and discussions that involve diverse cultural perspectives and problem-solving activities that will support you in developing your clinical reasoning in the context of pharmacotherapeutics and prescribing.
You will be strongly encouraged to complete self-directed learning tasks and interactive formative quizzes prior to engaging in your tutorials, and actively engage in discussions with you peers and teaching staff. Support will be provided to develop your digital capabilities in this unit, including accessing online therapeutic databases and information literacy skills to identify and appraise relevant research literature to inform evidence-based practice. You will also develop your communication skills through you in-person and/or online contributions to the tutorial activities and developing your clinical skills in medication history taking.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Weekly formative quizzes are utilised to provide you with regular feedback across the semester. Discussion in tutorials with peers and academics aims to provide you with instant feedback on learning in tutorials across the semester. Teaching in tutorials has been scaffolded to the assessment items as a feed forward to build your required knowledge and skills to complete the assessment. You are also given written and verbal feedback, both at the group and individual level, when you receive your assessment results.
Assessment
Overview
You will complete 2 summative assessment items in this unit. Your first assessment item involves conducting a medication history taking consultation with a simulated patient. The second assessment item requires you to demonstrate your understanding of the content and its clinical application in the unit through the completion of a theory exam.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Patient Interview
Medication history taking in podiatry is a fundamental competency practitioners must achieve in order to meet AHPRA's threshold competency standards for registration. This assessment item will involve you participating in a simulated patient history taking interview.
The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is prohibited during this assessment.
Threshold Assessment:
Threshold conditions apply to this assessment item. If you do not achieve satisfactory performance, you will be permitted one reattempt at the minimum pass level, only when your achieved grade is within 1 grade of the pass level for the assessment item. You are advised to seek feedback on your submission from the unit coordinator prior to your reattempt.
Assessment: Theory Exam (Written)
This theory exam assesses your knowledge of pharmacology, therapeutic indications, and Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) principles relevant to podiatric practice. You will apply these principles to evaluate and recommend the appropriate use of medicines for conditions within the scope of podiatry in Australia. This assessment item will involve you completing short answer and multiple choice questions.
The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is prohibited during this assessment.
Threshold Assessment:
Students must pass this theory exam in order to demonstrate a safe and competent understanding of pharmacotherapeutics. If you do not achieve satisfactory performance, you will be permitted one reattempt at the minimum pass level, only when your achieved grade is within 1 grade of the pass level for the assessment item. You are advised to seek feedback on your submission from the unit coordinator prior to your reattempt.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
The following textbooks and websites may be used in this unit.
Note: All resources are available through QUT Library.
Databases and Websites:
The following databases are accessible via QUT Library
Follow this string starting at the QUT Home page:
QUT Library -> Go to Databases Page -> Select a subject: Science & Technology -> Pharmacy -> Select the database of your choice
Resource Materials
Recommended text(s)
Australian medicines handbook. (Current Edition). Adelaide, SA: AMH Pty Ltd. Electronic version available through QUT Library Databases website or directly at www.amh.net.au
DiPiro., and et al. Pharmacotherapy: A pathophysiological approach. (Current Edition). NY: McGraw-Hill Medical Pub. Division.
Further resources are listed in the Guidelines for Endorsement for Scheduled Medicines by Podiatry Board of Australia.
Golan., and et al. Principles of pharmacology: The pathophysiological basis of drug therapy. (Current Edition). Philadelphia; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
MIMS. (Current Edition). Sydney, NSW: MIMS Australia and UBM Media Pty Ltd. Electronic version available through QUT Library Databases website or directly at www.mims.com.au
National Prescribing Service (NPS) at www.nps.org.au
Rang, H.P., and et al. Pharmacology. (Current Edition). Philadelphia, Pa: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.
Therapeutic Goods Administration at www.tga.gov.au
Therapeutic Guidelines (Current Edition). Melbourne, VIC: Therapeutic Guidelines Ltd. Electronic version available through QUT Library Databases website or directly at www.tg.com.au. Essential titles for podiatry: Antibiotic, analgesic, dermatology, endocrinology, toxicology and dental.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with this unit. You will be made aware of evacuation procedures and assembly areas in the first few lectures. In the event of a fire alarm sounding, or on a lecturer's instruction, you should leave the room and assemble in the designated area, which will be indicated to you. You should be conscious of your health and safety at all times whilst on campus.
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.CS44 Bachelor of Podiatry
- Critically evaluate and integrate specialised discipline knowledge of body systems, pathology, podiatric medicine and therapeutics in real-world settings.
Relates to: Patient Interview, Theory Exam (Written) - Employ information literacy, evidence-based professional reasoning and shared decision-making to safely and effectively undertake person-centred management for diverse lower limb conditions through assessment, investigation, diagnosis and evaluation.
Relates to: Theory Exam (Written) - Practice effective multimodal communication and collaboration, establishing inclusive partnerships with patients, health professionals and relevant stakeholders, leveraging digital capabilities and interprofessional referral pathways to positively impact individual and community health outcomes, applying the full scope of podiatric practice.
Relates to: Patient Interview - Uphold, promote and advocate for the culture and practice of safety, quality assurance and risk management in diverse health care environments and populations, while recognizing personal accountability and responsibility for sustainable and culturally safe systems, and embracing diverse perspectives and innovative health care solutions.
Relates to: Patient Interview, Theory Exam (Written)
CS46 Bachelor of Podiatry (Honours)
- Critically evaluate and integrate advanced specialised knowledge of body systems, pathology, podiatric medicine and therapeutics in real-world settings.
Relates to: Patient Interview, Theory Exam (Written) - Employ research skills in parallel with evidence-based professional reasoning and shared decision-making to safely and effectively undertake person-centred management for diverse lower limb conditions through assessment, investigation, diagnosis and evaluation.
Relates to: Theory Exam (Written) - Practice scholarly multimodal communication and effective collaboration, establishing inclusive partnerships with patients, health professionals and relevant stakeholders, leveraging digital capabilities and interprofessional referral pathways to positively impact individual and community health outcomes, applying the full scope of podiatric practice, including dissemination of research findings.
Relates to: Patient Interview - Uphold, promote and advocate for the culture and practice of safety, quality assurance and risk management in diverse health care environments and populations, while recognizing personal accountability and responsibility for sustainable and culturally safe systems, embracing diverse perspectives and demonstrating emergent leadership of innovative health care solutions through research.
Relates to: Patient Interview, Theory Exam (Written)