Clinical Pharmacology - The European Challenge (Paperback)

More than 20 years ago a WHO study group formulated the principles of clinical pharmacology, which has since become an established medical discipline in a number of countries. It is fundamental to the interests of public health that drugs are used for the right indication and in the right dosage, and that the choice of drugs is appropriate. Work in this direction in Europe has mainly concentrated on teaching the principles of clinical pharmacology and pharmacotherapy to medical students and doctors, and this in turn was the purpose of the WHO Working Group on Clinical Pharmacology in Europe, set up in 1986. The Working Group laid down general principles for the teaching of and training in clinical pharmacology, and formulated guidelines on the role of the discipline in health-care delivery, with special emphasis on primary health care. It is these principles and guidelines that form the first section of this book. In addition, the book presents, country by country, the results of a questionnaire sent out to medical schools and health ministries about the academic status of clinical pharmacology. Consequently it represents a guide to academic programmes in clinical pharmacology in the European Region, as well as a discussion on the role that the discipline could play in medical schools and health care.