Learning Pharmaceutics from YouTube: A Valuable Tool for Undergraduate Students

Objective: Pharmaceutics is a foundational subject in pharmacy education, often perceived as challenging due to its technical depth and complexity. Traditional teaching methods may not always cater to diverse learning needs, prompting students to seek supplementary digital resources such as YouTube. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and patterns of YouTube usage among undergraduate pharmacy students for learning pharmaceutics, identify commonly studied topics, and evaluate student perceptions regarding its effectiveness and limitations. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online structured questionnaire distributed via social media and institutional email groups. Undergraduate pharmacy students from various academic years were included through non-random sampling. The questionnaire captured demographic data, YouTube usage patterns, perceived effectiveness, and challenges. Data were analyzed using SPSS v25, employing descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Results: Among the 600 participants, 93% reported using YouTube as a supplementary tool for learning pharmaceutics. Key topics studied included drug formulation (65%), biopharmaceutics (60%), dosage form design (55%), and stability studies (50%). Most students (88%) found YouTube effective in understanding complex concepts, and 74% believed it improved retention. However, concerns were noted regarding credibility (55%), lack of structured learning (42%), and difficulty identifying reliable channels (30%). Conclusion: YouTube is a widely used and appreciated supplementary learning tool among pharmacy students, enhancing conceptual understanding and academic confidence. Nonetheless, it should be integrated cautiously with formal curricula, emphasizing content credibility and guided use. Further studies should evaluate long-term academic impacts and strategies for effective digital learning integration. Keywords: Digital resources; Pharmacy education; Pharmaceutics; Student perception; Video-based learning