Herbal Product Education in United States Pharmacy Schools: Core or Elective Program?.

Abstract

This study examined the extent of use and knowledge of herbal drugs by pharmacy students. This data was used to revise an existing core course in nonprescription drugs to include basic information about herbal products. A convenience sample of 370, culturally diverse students completed a print survey on the appropriate use of twelve popular herbal products. Pearson Chi-square analysis evaluated students' knowledge. The average score was only 32 percent Individual student scores were affected by ethnicity, work experience, family tradition, and sources of information. This data demonstrates the need for herbal instruction in core curricula of pharmacy colleges if students are expected to provide comprehensive pharmaceutical care in the area of self-care for their patients. Colleges of pharmacy should include formal instruction on herbal products in their curricula; the remaining question to be answered is whether it should be in the core or elective curricula.