Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40715004›Full record

ArticlePharmacology research & perspectives2025

Interrogating the Perceptions of Undergraduate Pharmacology Teaching on an MBBS Programme at a UK Medical School.

Eleanor Renee Smith, Maximilian Paley, Raji Kaur Lalli, Maryam Malekigorji, John Broad

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Pharmacology research & perspectives, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Editorial: Pharmacology Education Special Issue.Pharmacology research & perspectives · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Eleanor Renee SmithMaidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, Maidstone, Kent, UK.
Maximilian PaleyMaidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, Maidstone, Kent, UK.
Raji Kaur LalliFaculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
Maryam MalekigorjiFaculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
John BroadFaculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-1641-7076

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Pharmacology education at medical schools in the UK aims to give newly qualified doctors the ability to apply foundational knowledge of pharmacology and to be able to prescribe drugs safely. This study aimed to assess a current pharmacology curriculum and understand the perspectives of both students and educators around pharmacology teaching. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research utilized documentation analysis, focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and online questionnaires with students, educators and senior academic tutors. The analysis of the current curriculum revealed that 1069 drugs or drug classes were introduced to students in their first 2 years of study of drugs and drug classes. Students reported feeling overwhelmed with the number of drugs they were expected to learn. They suggested increasing contextual learning experiences and more practical prescribing experience. Students emphasized the need for greater visibility of pharmacology teaching. Students and educators identified challenges in integrating pharmacology effectively, which contributed to knowledge gaps. Disparities between students' perceptions of pharmacology education and educators' confidence in its delivery were found. These findings suggest the need to address the number of drugs introduced to students in their first 2 years of study. Recommendations include reducing the number of drugs or drug classes introduced to students, highlighting important drugs or classes, enhancing the visibility of pharmacology in the curriculum, and educating and supporting staff when preparing teaching sessions that involve pharmacology. These measures may address students' feelings of being overwhelmed by pharmacology, aligning with the aim of developing medical students into safe prescribers following graduation.

Indexed as

Education, Medical, UndergraduatePharmacologyStudents, MedicalCurriculumFemaleFocus GroupsHumansMaleSchools, MedicalSurveys and QuestionnairesUnited Kingdom

Identifiers

PMID40715004
PMCPMC12679945

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.