Drug-Induced Acute Kidney Injury: A Standardized Patient Case for Clerkship Students

Abstract

Introduction: Drug-induced nephrotoxicity is a common yet preventable cause of acute renal failure. With the upward trend of prescription and over-the-counter medication use, it has become increasingly important for health care professionals to not only be able to identify acute renal failure precipitated by medications, but also to recognize medications that are eliminated by the kidneys and adjust dosages accordingly to prevent further damage. Methods: In this activity, third-year clerkship medical students are presented with a standardized patient portraying an acute medical problem in which students must ascertain the underlying cause of the problem and draw from their knowledge of pharmacology, pharmacokinetic principles, and clinical therapeutics to develop a plan to address the patient's medical concerns. Results: We found that few students were able to identify the underlying cause of the patient's acute condition, and none were successful at applying pharmacokinetic principles appropriately. Discussion: Implementing this case with third-year medical students has identified the need to revisit pharmacokinetic principles in an applied setting. As a result, this topic is being added to a course that highlights the relevance of basic sciences in clinical contexts for clerkship students.

Antiviral Pharmacology: A Standardized Patient Case for Preclinical Medical Students

“… 5 , 7 In their evaluation of four pharmacology-focused SP encounters for third-year MD students, Karpa and colleagues noted that students were often unable to apply basic pharmacology principles in clinical settings and therefore called for the continued threading of similar encounters throughout the medical school curriculum. 8 – 11 These SP encounters were implemented later than ours in the medical school curriculum. By introducing a clinically relevant pharmacology exercise earlier, we hoped our learners would find the exercise helpful when approaching future pharmacologic material.…”

“…Despite previous exposure to these topics, students were largely unable to apply these pharmacology concepts in a clinical setting. 8 – 11 …”