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Abstract:  Active learning is common in pharmacy school. However, such learning strategy rarely integrates more than one specific field. Here, we develop a new active multidisciplinary approach centered on compounded capsule’s quality evaluation. Captopril capsules were chosen for their important role to control systemic arterial hypertension, a highly prevalent disease. The study design was developed and demonstrated by two undergraduate students. Four compounding pharmacies were selected randomly, and sixty capsules of captopril 25 mg were purchased from each pharmacy at three different periods (12 batches). The capsules were evaluated according to general aspects (visual observation), label information (according to the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia’s regulation), weight variation (standard method), and uniformity of dosage units (iodine titration). All batches met the requirements expected for general aspects and one pharmacy did not meet minimum label criteria. Weight variation out of the standard limits was observed for three of the batches evaluated, and five batches were found to be out of the acceptable captopril’s dosage. All stages of this activity resulted in important discussions pertaining to the education of pharmacists. The experimental multidisciplinary approach presented a lead to different discussions on several expertise fields and might have a great impact on the formation of future pharmacist. Several topics could be addressed using this activity, such as analytical chemistry, titration, stoichiometry, medicine preparation, pharmacological risks, et h i c a l aspects, and the pharmacist’s role to guarantee health.

Related Keywords: undergraduate pharmacy education, quality evaluation of compounded capsules, active learning, captopril, Brazil, quality control, drug standards, practice ethics

Related Categories: QUALITY CONTROL, PHARMACY EDUCATION

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