Clinical pharmacology: principles and practice of drug therapy in medical education

Educational reform has taken place in many Medical Schools. A traditional passive approach has been replaced by a more active, student-centred approach, founded on Problem-Based Learning. This has not been without risk because many well-structured courses have been abandoned, and this is of particular significance to the principles and practice of drug therapy. Here we outline an approach which could be incorporated into a medical curriculum and suggest some guidelines and a list of questions that should be asked in clinical situations involving drug therapy.