Didactic strategy for students to prepare a protocol to conduct a drug stability study

Abstract

The results of a didactic strategy Workshop application in the course of Pharmaceutical Physicochemistry II are presented. This strategy allows building knowledge significantly when establishing a relationship with personal experience. The knowledge and application of the current regulations for the development of drug stability studies in Costa Rica, is a fundamental aspect of the pharmacist`s work in this country. For this reason, in this course which is taught in the third year of the pharmacy career at the University of Costa Rica, the topic is included when the issue of drug stability is developed. This activity proposed a new way of approaching the issue, involving the student in the construction of a more meaningful knowledge, by management and application of the stability norms developing along the semester in five stages: 1) plan the strategy, 2) coordination between the teachers of the different laboratory groups, 3) knowledge of the basic concepts of stability by students, 4) application of the teaching strategy in two laboratory sessions and 5) evaluation of the strategy by students, through the Google Forms platform. The work teams reviewed the Central American Technical Regulations (RTCA) and developed the stability protocol for the assigned drugs. Subsequently, they presented their proposals at the indicated time. Conclusion: The strategy used was very successful for the development of the issue of regulatory aspects of drug stability, since it aroused the interest of most students and validates the need to conduct coordination meetings between teachers.