Perception of MBBS Students About Pharmacology Teaching in New Competency-based Medical Education (CBME) Curriculum at a Tertiary Care Medical Institute of Haryana

Background Competency-based medical education (CBME) is an approach that ensures that the focus of teaching, learning, and assessment is on real-life medical practice. There is a radical shift in the teaching, learning, and assessment methods from the traditional curriculum. Purpose: The current study aimed to assess the perception of students regarding the recently implemented undergraduate pharmacology curriculum. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted among MBBS students with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of various domains, namely, general perception about CBME, perception about pharmacology teaching and assessment patterns using a 5-point Likert scale, and the scoring system based on the responses. Based on the scoring system, positive, neutral, or negative perceptions of the students toward the CBME curriculum were analyzed. Results Out of the 175 participants, 165 (94.4%) of the students scored more than 60%, and hence, they had a positive perception of the newly implemented CBME curriculum in pharmacology. 159 (91%) students favored the incorporation of competencies like intravenous (I/V) drip setting. Most students opined that conceptual teaching like the personal drug (P-drug) concept, drug promotion literature (DPL), and prescription writing in the new curriculum will be helpful in better understanding the subject and will set a firm foundation for becoming a good practitioner. The majority of the students agreed with the inclusion of periodic and formative assessments in the new curriculum. Conclusion The majority of participants preferred the new curriculum over the previous one, which is a welcome sign for the successful outcome of the revised CBME curriculum in pharmacology.