THE CHALLENGE IN TEACHING MEDICAL PRESCRIPTION SKILLS, PROPOSAL OF ACTIVE LEARNING MODELS

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Introduction: The adoption of active methodologies in undergraduate courses requires that teachers adopt a creative approach and seek out diverse tools that enhance meaningful learning. Teaching medical prescription is a challenge and undergraduates consider it a deficient practical area, requiring better applied learning. A medication display was developed as an active methodology tool to aid learning and overcome the theoretical-practical dissociation. Objective: To report the experience of students in using the medication display as a facilitator in the development of medical prescription skills in stages V and VI of the course. Experience report: In the pediatric skills clinic, students perform a complete anamnesis and physical examination, proposing a diagnostic hypothesis and conduct that will be discussed with the preceptor. Given the students' difficulty in choosing the medication, performing calculations and structuring the prescription, the medications were fixed on a 60/60 cm MDF board, so that students could view the bottles during their prescription practice. The display is assembled with empty medication bottles provided by the Popular Pharmacy Program or with other formulations obtained through free samples, related to the pathologies studied in the stage according to the pedagogical project of the course. There is no conflict of interest on the part of the institution, professor or student. Through problematization, the students practiced therapeutic choices, learned about the various presentations of the same active ingredient, performed calculations and structured prescriptions for internal and external use. Discussion: The students reported security, a feeling of scientific empowerment, increased professional responsibility and social maturity in the application of comprehensive patient care. The proximity of theory to the practice of prescription reinforced the perception that an effective prescription depends on assertive clinical reasoning. This evidences the stimulus to scientific study and responsibility in reducing prescription errors. Conclusion: It is considered that the early initiation of medical prescription guidelines in medical school, through the application of the medication display as a teaching-learning tool, was positive in the process of fixing concepts.