TITLE:
Learning Pharmacology in Mexico: A Survey of the Use and Views of Pharmacology Textbooks by Undergraduate Medical Students
AUTHORS:
Rosa Ventura-Martinez, Rebeca Aguirre-Hernandez, Jacinto Santiago-Mejia, Claudia Gomez, Rodolfo Rodriguez
KEYWORDS:
Pharmacology; Learning; Teaching; Textbooks; Medical Schools
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.5 No.1,
January
26,
2014
ABSTRACT: Background: To date, little is known about the view of medical students towards
pharmacology textbooks. This study aimed to investigate the preferences of
second-year medical students towards pharmacology textbooks, and to identify
the factors involved in book selection. Methods: Second-year medical students of the Medical School at the
National University of Mexico (classes of 2010, 2011, and 2012) were asked to
select their preferred textbook for studying pharmacology and preparing for
exams from a list of nine textbooks. They also completed a 19-item
questionnaire to identify and evaluate
the reasons for their preferences. Results: A total of 1323 students completed the questionnaire,
representing 45.59% of all medical students enrolled in 2010-2012.
The two textbooks most preferred by students were Goodman & Gilman
(25.3%) and Rodriguez et al. (27.3%); preferences
for the other books were Harvey & Champe (13.9%), Rang et al. (13.5%), or
Katzung et al. (12.3%), and others (7.6%). The usefulness and the adequacy of content were deemed equally
important by students when choosing a textbook. Conclusions: Goodman & Gilman, a well-known pharmacology
textbook, and Rodriguez et al., a small-volume textbook, were preferred by
these second-year medical students; their choices were based on relevant
pharmacological information and adequacy of content.