Abstract:

Introduction:
The new model of professional practice of pharmacists needs patient-centered training of students to ensure that future pharmacists will have the capacity for accepting their responsibility with patients and work together with other health professionals involved in the health care process.

Objective:
With the aim of guaranteeing the adequate training of the students and to encourage interdisciplinary teams throughout their training process, teachers must implement new teaching techniques in their subjects.

Methodology:
From the academic year 2012-2013 to 2017-2018, in the subject of Pharmacology (third year of Degree in Pharmacy), two-hour seminars have been conducted with chronic patients belonging to the Headache associations (Spanish Society of Headache), Valencian Association of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Epilepsy Association of the Valencian Community. Attendance at the activity was voluntary, this attendance was checked to know the interest of the students.
Two patients from each association attended the sessions to explain their experiences, the work problems associated with their disease, social acceptance issues, how they were diagnosed, and which is the treatment now or in the past. During the sessions, the students asked doubts or curiosities to the patients.

Results:
The sessions have existed for six academic year. The results of class attendance and participation were the following:
(1) The class attendance has averaged 53.2 students, 96.2% of the students enrolled in the subject.
(2) The talks of sessions were very lively and students asked many questions,
(3) The voluntary attendance was very high,
(4) Students valued very positively this academic activity because it gave them a real and practical view of patients and diseases,
(5) In addition, the students learned new and peculiar aspects and details through interaction with patients.

These reasons justified extending the activity to another subject of the Degree of Pharmacy, specifically Physiopathology II.

References:
[1] Hudson J, Ratnapalan S. Teaching clinical skills with patient resources. Canadian Family Physician. 2014;60(7):674-677.
[2] Spencer J, Godolphin W, Karpenko N, Towle A. Can patients be teachers? Involving patients and service users in healthcare professionals’ education. Newcastle, UK: The Health Foundation; 2011. Available from: www.health.org.uk/public/cms/75/76/313/2809/Can%20patients%20be%20teachers.pdf?realName=br0eQj.pdf. Accessed 2014 May 20.
[3] Bokken L, Rethans JJ, Scherpbier AJ, van der Vleuten CP. Strengths and weaknesses of simulated and real patients in the teaching of skills to medical students: a review. Simul Healthc. 2008;3(3):161–9.
[4] Jha V, Quinton ND, Bekker HL, Roberts TE. Strategies and interventions for the involvement of real patients in medical education: a systematic review. Med Educ. 2009;43(1):10–20.

Keywords:

Patients, pharmacy, students.