SOME TEACHING’S FEATURES OF THE DISCIPLINE “DRUGS’ SIDE EFFECTS” (ELECTIVE COURSE) AT THE MEDICAL FACULTY

Abstract

Modern medicines have a variety of activities, which are the basis for their successful use to treat various diseases. At the same time, all drugs can cause side effects (SE). The best way to prevent them is the knowledge of the details of the spectrum of SE, mechanisms and provoking moments of their development. Despite the fact that information about drugs’ SE is quite fully present in the instructions for their use and considered in the study of pharmacology in the 3rd year, the focus of 5th year students on this aspect of drugs pharmacodynamics is an important moment of ​​their professional training. The aim of the work was to analyze the features of teaching the discipline “Drugs’ side effects” (elective course) at the Faculty of Medicine of TNMU. When teaching this discipline, the manifestations and mechanisms of development of adverse drugs’ reactions, contraindications for the use of certain groups of drugs are analyzed; the results of drug-drug interaction, in particular changes of pharmacokinetics (at the stages of absorption, distribution, biotransformation, excretion) and pharmacodynamics in a case of their combined administration, pharmacogenomics. The important role of the State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine in the rational use of medicines also is discussed, as well as the importance of pharmacovigilance, which should be carried out by physicians in the process of clinical use of drugs. Teaching the discipline “Drugs’ Side Effects” (elective course) at the Faculty of Medicine is necessary for students to master the basics of effective and safe pharmacotherapy. The discipline “Drugs’ Side Effects” focuses on the importance of key issues facing the doctor when prescribing drugs. Thus, deep mastery of them will help to form in future doctors an awareness of the need for careful and balanced use of medicines.