Impact of educational intervention on chronopharmacology among medical undergraduates in a tertiary care teaching hospital: A cross-sectional observational study.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51168/sjhrafrica.v6i12.2356Keywords:
Chronopharmacology, , knowledge, , medical undergraduates, Pre-test, Post-testAbstract
Background
Chronopharmacology, the study of how biological rhythms influence drug actions and therapeutic outcomes, is an important yet often overlooked component of rational pharmacotherapy. Medical undergraduates frequently receive limited exposure to this concept during routine training. Enhancing their understanding may improve future clinical decision-making related to time-based drug administration.
Objectives: To assess baseline knowledge of chronopharmacology among medical undergraduates and to evaluate the impact of a structured educational intervention on improving their understanding.
Methods
A pre-test/post-test questionnaire-based study was conducted among 481 MBBS students at a tertiary care teaching hospital. A structured and validated 22-item questionnaire assessing key chronopharmacology concepts was administered before the intervention. Students then attended an interactive teaching session, after which the same questionnaire was repeated to assess improvement in knowledge levels.
Results
Pre-test scores revealed inadequate baseline knowledge across several domains, with correct responses ranging from 18.5% to 76.7%. Following the educational intervention, post-test scores showed marked improvement, with most items achieving above 90% accuracy, demonstrating substantial learning gains. The intervention significantly enhanced understanding of drug timing principles across domains such as asthma, NSAIDs, antihypertensives, statins, and circadian physiological variations.
Conclusion
The educational intervention resulted in a significant improvement in students’ knowledge of chronopharmacology. Incorporating chronopharmacology into undergraduate pharmacology teaching may strengthen rational prescribing and promote time-optimized therapeutic decision-making among future clinicians.
Recommendation
Educating future doctors on the diurnal variations of drug metabolism (pharmacokinetics) and sensitivity (pharmacodynamics) is essential for modern clinical competency.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Akash Sinhha, Dr. Pradnya Deolekar, Dr. Kavitha Dongerkery, Movva Navya, Nidhi Hrishikesh Vadhavekar, Arjun Ananthanarayan, Jessica L Jahau, Atharva Dahibhate, Prateek Duradundi Tammanagol
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