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A new app to support UK pharmacy undergraduates to learn about key drugs has been developed by a collaboration of 16 pharmacy schools.
The Pharmaquest app contains a database on 100 drugs, identified by academics at the schools as the most useful for pharmacy undergraduates to have a working knowledge of before starting their pre-registration year.
The database includes common indications, methods of action, chemical structure, side effects and points of interest on each drug and is presented in a card format to aid revision. The app can also generate random tests of the whole database or of a specific subsection so users can test their own knowledge and learning.
The app has been released on both Android and Apple platforms and comes in a limited version that is free to download. The free app contains information on 25 drugs and has limited functionality so users can try out the product before buying the full version, which costs £2.99.
David Wright, professor of pharmacy practice at the University of East Anglia, who initiated the project and managed the app’s development, said that the idea for the app was an innovation on drug cards previously introduced at UEA to better prepare graduates for their pre-registration year.
“We all recognise that the app only supports basic knowledge development but it will make graduates more confident when undertaking their pre-registration year and therefore enable them to focus more on meeting performance standards from the outset. We also think it will help them to better prepare for their pre-registration exam,” he said.
Working pharmacists can also use the app to check that their knowledge is still up to date, he added.
Development of the app was funded by an unrestricted education grant from Rosemont Pharmaceuticals.
