The module aims to provide students with the foundation to develop the knowledge and skills required to enable the competent and confident clinical management of cardiovascular conditions including cardiovascular risk assessment, hypertension, acute coronary syndromes, atrial fibrillation, angina, heart failure and stroke; renal and hepatic disorders including alcoholic liver disease, chronic kidney disease, hepatorenal syndrome and implications of hepatic and renal dysfunction for drug handling, dosing and monitoring; antimicrobial stewardship and the judicious use of antimicrobial agents. 

Course Content:

The module content will include the application of theory, policy and evidence based clinical guidelines to the provision of pharmacy and patient care services for individuals in the following areas:

• Cardiovascular conditions including cardiovascular risk assessment, hypertension, acute coronary syndromes, atrial fibrillation, angina, heart failure and stroke.
• Renal and hepatic disorders including alcoholic liver disease, chronic kidney disease, hepatorenal syndrome and implications of hepatic and renal dysfunction for drug handling, dosing and monitoring.
• Antimicrobial stewardship and the judicious use of antimicrobial agents.

Applied clinical evidence sources and methods for
evaluating evidence relevant to practice and service provision across different care settings such as:  

• The procurement and delivery of care services from an integrated care provision perspective, supporting practitioners in demonstrating evidence-based approaches to service design and delivery.
• Principles of risk management and clinical governance underpin the module, with a focus on patient and medication safety.

Course Delivery:

The course will use face-to-face teaching. Case studies drawn from practice across sectors will be integrated throughout, enabling students to apply learning directly to their workplace. Experiential workplace learning remains central, encouraging students to develop both autonomous and collaborative practice within the multidisciplinary team while applying effective medicines use principles and safe prescribing practice to improve patient outcome.

Assessment Details:

Coursework 1, 20%
Critical appraisal report

Coursework 2, (P/F)
Practice portfolio submission

Practical, 80%
Practice Portfolio discussion

All individual elements of assessment must be passed.

Learning Outcomes:

Successful students will typically:

• Demonstrate and apply a systematic understanding of physical examination, clinical investigations and interpretation of results to develop an appropriate differential and working diagnosis to formulate an action plan, in partnership with the multidisciplinary team, patient and others.
• Demonstrate effective consultation skills and satisfactory interpretation of physical examination and clinical investigation outcomes initiated by self or others whilst practicing within the limits of own competency and professional scope.
• Apply and demonstrate medicines optimisation strategies for patients in their care across these disease states and based on the application of relevant theory and evidence-based practice.
• Demonstrate a systematic understanding of evidence-based appraisal of clinical interventions and principles of risk management in practice to support safe and effective delivery of patient care.
• Demonstrate and apply credible knowledge of evidence-based approaches to medicines optimisation and provision of individualised patient care covering the disease conditions based on a short and long-term prognosis.
• Demonstrate awareness and application of risk management strategies aligned with own, local and wider structures to support safe and effective care delivery.

Course Notes:

The course is facilitated by UH staff and external experts. 

Scheduled Teaching, campus-based activities in general teaching spaces (e.g. lectures,
seminars, tutorials): 21 hours

Scheduled Teaching, external learning activities (e.g. fieldwork, external visits, work-based learning): 199 hours

Directed Independent Study: 20 hours
Self-directed Independent Study: 80 hours