Development and classroom pilot of PK-SIMple: An open-source pharmacokinetics teaching tool for pharmacy students

Pharmacokinetics is a fundamental component of pharmacy education that students often find challenging due to its quantitative nature. Although instructional pharmacokinetics simulation tools have been previously reported, the requirements for installation, training, or licensing hinders their widespread adoption. Consequently, research demonstrates that the uptake of such software for pharmacy education is limited.

To address this gap, we developed PK-SIMple: a python-based Streamlit application that students can open directly in their browser to generate concentration-time profiles. The application was piloted in two 90-min workshops with third-year undergraduate pharmacy students. We detail the development and technical testing of the application to support pharmacy educators wishing to design their own instructional technologies.

Load-testing demonstrated that PK-SIMple performed quickly and reliably even under high user demand. This was corroborated by the application's real-world performance during the workshops, where the simulation time remained negligible. Both instructors and students were able to work through three case studies independently, demonstrating that the application does not require prior knowledge or specialist instruction for use.

PK-SIMple reflects principles of Universal Design for Learning by offering inherent flexibility in the level of theory that can be incorporated into a simulation. Our experience illustrates that the development of in-house technologies, though technically demanding, is both feasible and rewarding for pharmacy students and educators. An international, multi-institutional study is planned to assess the impact of PK-SIMple on students' enjoyment and understanding of pharmacokinetics.