Integration of Graphic medicine in teaching Pharmacology to Optometry students

Abstract

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Objective: The study was undertaken to establish student perception and interest in a graphic medicine approach to the teaching and learning of pharmacology in optometry. Methods: The Graphic-oriented approach to the teaching of pharmacology was introduced periodically to undergraduate students of optometry in semesters five and six. The methodology was accompanied by 'concept animation' to translate difficult concepts into comprehensible ideas using handmade diagrams and comic strips. Furthermore, the process was accompanied by learning difficult terminology and definitions of the subject using 'keywords and phrases'. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted towards the end of the semester to determine student aptitude for and interest in this approach to teaching and learning. Results: A total of seventy-five students studying pharmacology across two semesters participated in the survey. Survey findings established the effectiveness of the diagrammatic approach to learning the names of drugs among 68% of the students. An overwhelming response of 85% students expressed their propensity for 'concept animation' to comprehend the difficult concepts in an easy way. Conclusion: Graphic medicine has been acknowledged as an important pedagogical instrument for the effective teaching and learning of subjects like pharmacology to allied health sciences students of optometry.