Pharmacology
Clinical Pharmacology Skills
Clinical pharmacology skills for MBBS and NEET-PG: P-drug selection, adverse drug reactions, pharmacovigilance, drug interactions and drug monitoring, mapped to NMC codes.
MedNext Academy | 3 min read
Clinical Pharmacology Skills
Clinical pharmacology skills for MBBS and NEET-PG: P-drug selection, adverse drug reactions, pharmacovigilance, drug interactions and drug monitoring, mapped to NMC codes.
This chapter covers the clinical pharmacology skills of rational drug selection, recognising and reporting adverse drug reactions, understanding drug interactions and pharmacovigilance, and appraising drug information critically. These competency-based skills prepare students to prescribe safely and evaluate evidence.
High-yield: Clinical Pharmacology Skills
- The P-drug concept means selecting a personal set of first-choice drugs for common conditions based on efficacy, safety, suitability and cost.
- Rational drug selection weighs efficacy, safety, suitability for the patient and cost before prescribing.
- An adverse drug reaction is any harmful and unintended response to a drug at normal doses.
- Type A reactions are dose-related and predictable, while type B reactions are idiosyncratic and unpredictable.
- Pharmacovigilance is the science of detecting, assessing and preventing adverse drug reactions.
- Suspected adverse drug reactions should be reported to the national pharmacovigilance programme.
- Recognising classic culprit-and-reaction pairs, such as ACE inhibitors and cough, aids reporting.
- Drug interactions may be pharmacokinetic, altering levels, or pharmacodynamic, altering effect.
- Enzyme inhibitors and inducers are major causes of clinically important pharmacokinetic interactions.
- Critical appraisal of drug information helps distinguish reliable evidence from promotional claims.
- Analysing a prescription for errors and interactions is a core clinical pharmacology skill.
- Communicating drug risks and benefits clearly supports shared decision-making with patients.
- Therapeutic drug monitoring guides dosing for narrow-index drugs such as lithium and phenytoin.
- Ethical prescribing avoids conflicts of interest and undue influence from industry promotion.
Clinical pharmacology skills
- **P-drug selection:** Choose personal first-line drugs by efficacy, safety, suitability and cost.
- **Adverse reactions:** Type A dose-related and predictable; type B idiosyncratic.
- **Pharmacovigilance:** Detect, assess and report adverse reactions to the national programme.
- **Interactions:** Pharmacokinetic alter levels; pharmacodynamic alter effect.
NMC competencies in this chapter
- **PH3.1:** Select and prescribe P-drugs for common conditions
- **PH3.2:** Critically appraise drug information and promotional material
- **PH3.3:** Analyse prescriptions for errors and interactions
- **PH3.4:** Recognise and report adverse drug reactions
- **PH3.5:** Understand principles of pharmacovigilance
- **PH3.6:** Communicate drug risks and benefits to patients
- **PH3.7:** Apply therapeutic drug monitoring in practice
- **PH3.8:** Apply ethical principles in prescribing
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a P-drug?
A personal drug is a first-choice medicine you select in advance for a common condition, based on efficacy, safety, suitability and cost, so prescribing is rational and consistent.
How do type A and type B adverse reactions differ?
Type A reactions are dose-related, predictable extensions of the drug's action, while type B reactions are idiosyncratic and unpredictable, such as allergy.
What is pharmacovigilance?
It is the ongoing science of detecting, assessing, understanding and preventing adverse effects of medicines, supported by reporting suspected reactions.
Why is therapeutic drug monitoring used?
For drugs with a narrow therapeutic index such as lithium and phenytoin, measuring blood levels helps keep the dose effective without causing toxicity.
Continue reading
MBBSAll Pharmacology chapters
Continue through the Pharmacology chapter map.
Continue studying Pharmacology
Explore clinician-written learning resources, structured revision and practice across the MedNext platform.
Open in the MedNext appSee plans

