The School of Pharmacy at Griffith University Gold Coast in Australia instituted an integrated approach to teaching evidence-based CAM during their pharmacy curriculum.

First, the details.

• Evidence-based CAM education was taught during the third, fourth, and fifth years of the 5-year pharmacy curriculum.
• In the third year an introductory module focused on CAM familiarization.
• During the fourth and fifth years evidence-based CAM teaching was included in clinical topics through lectures and case studies.

And, the results.

• Students’ self-assessed and actual CAM knowledge increased significantly from year to year, as did their use of evidence-based CAM resources.
• Only 33% of the fourth-year students felt they had learned enough about CAM.
• Students would like to have CAM teaching integrated into the curriculum beginning in the first year rather than waiting until later in their education.

The bottom line?
The authors concluded that the program effectively increases students’ knowledge of CAM.

From the students’ perspective, they would “prefer integrated evidence-based CAM education throughout their program of study.”

10/14/08 21:23 JR