LETTER TO THE EDITOR Year : 2022  |  Volume : 35  |  Issue : 3  |  Page : 111-112

Concise pharmacology (”Pharma's pie”) videos for student use for review

Willmann Liang
Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong

Date of Submission20-Jun-2020Date of Decision23-Dec-2022Date of Acceptance27-Mar-2023Date of Web Publication08-Jun-2023

Correspondence Address:
Dr. Willmann Liang
Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, L2-26D Laboratory Block, 21 Sassoon Road, Pok Fu Lam
Hong Kong

Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None

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DOI: 10.4103/efh.EfH_267_20

How to cite this article:
Liang W. Concise pharmacology (”Pharma's pie”) videos for student use for review. Educ Health 2022;35:111-2

Dear Editor,

The subject of pharmacology introduces to health sciences students the basic mechanisms of drug actions as well as the clinical use of medicines. The broad content of a typical pharmacology course, however, often is overwhelming for the average student.[1] Curricular restructuring has resulted in revised lists of topics and depth of information delivered via different modes to students.[2] Types of e-learning tools being used may include illustrations, video lectures, interactive PowerPoint presentations, and animated videos – all with varying success.[3] In this communication, I will describe a series of concise, 1–2-min videos known as “Pharma's Pie” that were created and intended for students to quickly review major drug examples in each therapeutic drug class. It is envisioned that these short videos will benefit students in their consolidation of lecture contents and in their preparation for assessments.

Any pharmacology teacher can readily modify the composition of the Pharma's Pie video, depending on the lecture topic, using Microsoft PowerPoint® (from Microsoft Corporation) and FeyRecorder (from FeyTools LLC). A video on antidyslipidemic drugs has been produced, where each drug is introduced as a slice of Pharma's Pie (Video 1). The entirety of the step-by-step introduction of the five antidyslipidemic drugs is shown in [Figure 1]. Graphics were kept simple to minimize visual distraction from the contents and from presenting extraneous cognitive load to student learners.[4] However, the simultaneous use of visual and auditory senses has been demonstrated to optimize the working memory of the learner.[4] Therefore, a built-in narrative voice using FeyRecorder was introduced to the video – both the narration and subtitles were embedded into the PowerPoint file where the video was made. Upon completion, the PowerPoint file was saved as an MP4 video file for dissemination on a learning management system.

Figure 1: Still-frame image showing five antidyslipidemic drugs in the Pharma's Pie video to aid student learning

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Early observational data suggest that viewership of the antidyslipidemic video resulted in a positive correlation with student retention of lecture contents and assessment of student performance. There is potential to introduce the series of Pharma's Pie videos with coverage of other pharmacology topics for student usage.

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

 

  References 
1.Achike FI. Teaching pharmacology in an innovative medical curriculum: Challenges of integration, technology, and future training. J Clin Pharmacol 2010;50:6-16.  
    2.Curley LE, Wu Z, Svirskis D. Using technology in pharmacy education: Pharmacy student performance and perspectives when visual aids are integrated into learning. Front Pharmacol 2018;9:1062.  
    3.Efferth T. E-learning in pharmacology and pharmacy. Education 2011;1:4-14.  
    4.Young JQ, Van Merrienboer J, Durning S, Ten Cate O. Cognitive Load Theory: Implications for medical education: AMEE Guide No. 86. Med Teach 2014;36:371-84.  
    
  [Figure 1]