[Practical program to gather patient information from a diversified perspective and provide appropriate therapies in...

In the 11-week practical hospital training of pharmaceutical students in Nagoya University Hospital, a clinical practice program has been implemented with the objective of compensating for any deficits students may have in skills and attitudes due to insufficiencies in their formal education. The program aims to enable the students to observe patients from various angles, obtain from them information necessary for drug therapy, and propose multiple treatment methods according to the patient's background and situation. Tests are conducted before and after the program to assess the students' knowledge and to confirm whether lectures on basic knowledge of practical skills had been provided and whether practical skill training had been performed. The rate of correct answers on the postprogram test rose significantly after the practice program compared with the preprogram scores, thus confirming that the students' knowledge improved. Because the content of their knowledge and the experience that they had acquired previously was in accordance with older guidelines, however, it will be necessary to update students' knowledge regularly and to instill knowledge, skills, and attitudes that they will be able to apply in actual medical practice. In the questionnaire after the end of the program, more than 80% of the students indicated that they had benefitted. Many responded that this program would be useful for their practical hospital training on the wards and for their future work. This suggests that the program is extremely beneficial to the students.