The Perception of Pharmacology Among College Students: An East London Perspective

Abstract

Pharmacology is an integrative discipline that plays an integral part in the development of new medicines with improved safety and efficacy profiles. Sustained growth of this important discipline within the UK is made possible through training of the next generation of pharmacologists. In order to ensure that interest in pharmacology continues to grow, endeavors aimed at exposing students to pharmacology from earlier stages of their educational journeys have to be put in place. To this end, the current study aimed at capturing the perception of further education students on pharmacology in the East London area. This survey-based study, which took place between 2020 and 2021, consisted of multiple choice questions. The study revealed that over 80% of the surveyed biology and chemistry students have previously heard about pharmacology. However, when assessing their basic knowledge of pharmacology, it emerged that students had a somewhat distorted perception of pharmacology, as only 9.8% of the students associated pharmacology with biology. Additionally, students confused pharmacology with pharmacy. Students also had a somewhat limited understanding of what pharmacologists do. Finally, 23.5% of the students stated that they would consider studying pharmacology at university if they received sufficient introduction, with 92.2% of the students stating that they would like to see pharmacology added to their further education curriculum. In order to ensure the growth of pharmacology in the UK and given the misconceptions that students have, as highlighted in this study, we recommend that basic pharmacology education be introduced to the further education curriculum.

Keywords: curriculum; education; perception; pharmacology.

FIGURE 1

Have you ever heard of pharmacology? Students were requested to provide a single response for this survey question.

FIGURE 2

If you have heard of pharmacology, where did you hear about it? Students were expected to indicate all answers that applied.

FIGURE 3

(a) State which one or more words from the list below you think are most relevant to pharmacology? Students were expected to indicate all answers that applied. (b) List the top three words from the list above that you think are mostly related to pharmacology (in no particular order). Students were expected to indicate all answers that applied.

FIGURE 4

Select one or more statements from the list below that you think best describe what pharmacology is all about. Students were expected to indicate all answers that applied.

FIGURE 5

State which one or more of the following statements describe what do you think pharmacologists do? Students were expected to indicate all answers that applied.

FIGURE 6

Pharmacologists investigate the action of drugs at which one or more level? Students were expected to indicate all answers that applied.

FIGURE 7

A degree in pharmacology enables graduates to work only as pharmacologists. Students were requested to provide a single response for this survey question.

FIGURE 8

If you were taught about pharmacology as part of your current studies, would you consider studying it at university? Students were requested to provide a single response for this survey question.

FIGURE 9

Do you think pharmacology should be introduced to secondary or further education curriculum? Students were requested to provide a single response for this survey question.