LQB450 Foundations of Pharmacology

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

An understanding of how medicines work forms the basis of recognising clinical effects and adverse reactions. All members of the community have a responsibility in understanding drug action as consumers and health professionals. The work of health professionals is variable but may include communicating with consumers about their medicines, monitoring subjects, accurately reading and interpreting medical charts, checking doses, administering medicines, and monitoring for effects such as adverse drug reactions. They need confidence in these areas in order to have discussions with their patients and other health professionals, especially prescribers. This unit provides the principles of pharmacology which will prepare you for your role as a health care professional, medical scientist and/or consumer in administering and monitoring medicine use to improve health outcomes for Australians in accord with quality use of medicines.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Describe how different classes of medicines interact with major organ systems and their action in pathological conditions.
2. Apply an understanding of the mechanisms by which drugs are absorbed, metabolised and excreted from the human body, to safe administration and monitoring practices.
3. Predict the effect of drug interactions and the possible harmful effects of drugs including side-effects and adverse reactions.
4. Show evidence of your critical thinking, effective oral communication and teamwork skills through a team-based seminar

Content

Learning Approaches

The unit engages you in your learning through a theory-to-practice approach, where the principles of pharmacology will be explored to develop an understanding of your role and responsibilities as a health professional, medical scientist and/or consumer according to quality use of medicines. You will develop your knowledge of the fundamental principles of pharmacology and clinical applications of medicines used in daily life,  through online lectures and in  workshops. You will examine the pharmacology of medicines that are widely used in clinical practice including cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, ocular and central nervous systems indications.Through a team seminar presentation you will gain exposure to the current literature showcasing recent developments in the field of drug discovery, as well as advances in pharmacological methods for development of safer and more effective drugs.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will have the opportunity to receive ongoing feedback on all learning activities and assessments during workshop classes from your teaching team. 

Assessment

Overview

During your learning progression in LQB450, you will be examined using a mixture of formative and summative assessment methods. As a team in a seminar format, you will present a critical review on a peer-reviewed journal article on the pharmacology of a drug (or a newly discovered drug), relevant to material that is presented in LQB450. Working in teams in the workshops throughout the semester, you will undertake formative assessment by means of case study clinical examples that are relevant to topics covered during the weekly lectures. This formative assessment will provide opportunities to receive feedback on your work, which will inform the preparation and submission of your individual written report on authentic case study questions (summative assessment). A final examination will be held during the Central Examination period to test your depth of knowledge, understanding of clinical use of medicines, based on material presented during the Unit.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Case Study Report

You will prepare a concise report on the pharmacological management of a patient, providing a clear explanation linking the clinical presentation of the patient to drug interactions caused by polypharmacy.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Seminar

You are a member of the team of graduate optometrists recently employed at a busy inner-city practice. The practice manager is aware of several new discoveries in the pharmacology field and has requested you to undertake a scan of the literature for a drug with systemic effects, which may also affect the eye. Your group will present a seminar on your findings at the monthly journal club attended by the optometry team from your clinic, administrative staff, and pharmacists co-located in the building. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session with the audience.

Assessment: Final Examination

The Final Examination will test your depth of understanding of the principles of pharmacology covered across the semester in (weeks 1-13). 

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

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.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no identifiable risks in this unit

Course Learning Outcomes

LS47 Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science

1. Discipline Knowledge
   Relates to: Case Study Report, Seminar , Final Examination
2. Graduates will be able to critically review, analyse and synthesise knowledge to identify and solve problems in Medical Laboratory Science
   Relates to: Seminar
3. Analysis and interpretation of data
   Relates to: Case Study Report, Final Examination
4. Synthesis, judgement, and explanation
   Relates to: Seminar
5. Scientific communication skills including information literacy and numeracy
   Relates to: Case Study Report, Seminar
6. Team work/Group work
   Relates to: Seminar

OP45 Bachelor of Vision Science

1. Theoretical knowledge in optometry and vision science, introductory clinical and technical skills
   Relates to: Final Examination
2. Apply critical thinking and knowledge of vision science, ocular anatomy and clinical methods to generate solutions in clinical and scientific settings
   Relates to: Case Study Report
3. Apply clinical or technical skills to conduct a safe and effective assessment, data collection, experimental protocol
   Relates to: Final Examination
4. Articulate knowledge and problem solving to specialist and non specialist audiences through oral and written formats to standards expected by the profession
   Relates to: Case Study Report