Government Pavilion, C/ Padre Herrera s/n
Post Office Box 456
38200, San Cristobal de La Laguna
Santa Cruz de Tenerife - Spain
Switchboard Tel.: (+34) 922 31 90 00
Hours: Mon, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Strategies for the comprehensive management of polymedicated patients
Strategies for the comprehensive management of polymedicated patients
Overview
The overall objective of the micro-credential Strategies for the comprehensive approach to polymedicated patients is to train students to identify, evaluate and comprehensively address polypharmacy, applying a clinical, critical and ethical approach that allows optimizing therapeutic appropriateness, improving patient safety and promoting person-centered care, from a multidisciplinary, community and socio-health perspective.
Upon completion of the microcredential, students will be able to:
- Recognizing polypharmacy as a determining factor in patients' health, understanding its clinical, functional and social impact, as well as its relationship with patient safety and the quality of healthcare.
- To assess the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to polypharmacy, identifying the role of the different professionals involved and the need for coordination between levels of care, especially in the community and social health settings.
- Acquire skills for the comprehensive assessment of the polymedicated patient, including the identification of drug-related problems and the evaluation of therapeutic adequacy using clinical criteria and prescription and dispensing support tools.
- To know and apply the basic concepts of prescription and dispensing evaluation systems in polymedicated patients, incorporating criteria of safety, efficacy and therapeutic rationality in decision making.
- Develop critical and ethical reasoning in pharmacotherapeutic decision-making, integrating patient safety principles and participating in the design and management of support programs for polymedicated patients aimed at improving health outcomes.
To benefit from this subsidized training course, you must meet the following requirements:
1. To be a national of the Spanish territory.
2. Be between 25 and 64 years of age at the start date of training.
3. Possess relevant qualifications or professional experience:
- Official Spanish university degree or another issued by a higher education institution belonging to another Member State of the European Higher Education Area, attached to the branch of Health Sciences or to related qualifications directly related to the health field, which qualifies for access to master's studies in the same.
- Technical degree/equivalent and accredit a minimum of five years of work experience in the pharmaceutical sector, especially in areas related to community pharmacy, social and healthcare or public health.
Academic program
Theoretical and practical content of the subject:
- Session 1: Concept and determining factors of polypharmacy.
Fundamental concepts, causes and determining factors of polypharmacy.
- Session 2: Implications and consequences of polypharmacy.
Importance and implications for health, clinical, legal, ethical, economic and social implications.
- Session 3: The global phenomenon of polypharmacy within and outside the health system.
Elements involved in polypharmacy and strategies for addressing and coordinating it.
- Session 4: Concept of therapeutic adequacy.
Meaning and implications of the concept of therapeutic adequacy.
- Session 5: Biopsychosocial approach to the polymedicated patient.
Participation from different socio-health disciplines: medicine, nursing, pharmacy, social work, and others (pharmacy assistants, nursing assistants, and administrative staff). Coordination between different professionals, sectors, work areas, and levels of care.
- Session 6: Explicit and implicit criteria for evaluating therapeutic appropriateness.
Lipton criteria, Medication Appropriateness Index, Beers, DUR, etc. Indications, differences, limitations of each.
- Session 7: Optimizing therapeutic appropriateness in polymedicated patients.
Intervention models for patients on multiple medications. Evidence-based therapeutic appropriateness. Planning, implementation strategies, and evaluation of different models. Multidisciplinary pharmacotherapeutic follow-up. Evidence supporting therapeutic appropriateness for different intervention models.
The training activities to be carried out during the delivery of the micro-credential will be:
- Theoretical classes: expository, explanatory or demonstration sessions of the contents and knowledge.
- Practical classes: sessions of practical application of the content developed in the theoretical classes, through the resolution of exercises, problems or theoretical-practical scenarios.
- Seminars, workshops, or other complementary activities (discussion forums, simulations, etc.): monographic sessions that encourage student participation. These are supervised by the course instructors.
- Work: preparation of a study, essay, work… proposed in the subject, either individually or in a group following established guidelines.
- Independent work: independent and self-regulated activity of the student based on the documentation and guidelines proposed in the subject, preparation of classes and exams, preparation of final reports, internship reports…
- Presentations, debates and defenses of works and projects: activity through which students present works, exercises, projects… based on established criteria, demonstrating sufficiency and maturity in the acquisition of the planned competencies.
- Tutoring (individual, group…): activity in which the teaching staff attends to, facilitates and guides one or more students in the training process.
- Assessment: continuous assessment tests and final exams. Tests may be in person or online, and may be written, oral, or consist of practical exercises.
Regarding the way to organize the teaching to achieve the objectives set out in the micro-credential, the organizational modality summarized below will be followed:
- Lectures/expository method: presentation or explanation by the teaching staff.
- Seminars: completing exercises, solving problems or practical cases, others.
- Individual work: individual preparation of assignments/projects/reports, portfolio…
- Group work: group preparation of assignments, projects/reports…
- Personal study: preparing for tests, exams…
- Assessment: written tests, oral tests, practical tests…
- Tutoring: instruction period in which teachers and students interact with the aim of reviewing and discussing materials and topics presented in class.
- Exhibitions, debates and presentation of works and projects: activities supervised by the teaching staff.
- Active methodologies: cooperative learning, project-based learning, flipped classroom, service learning, game-based learning, case studies, problem solving… These are aimed at making learning a participatory process and are based on student agency.
The microcredential will have an evaluation system (ES) based on the following evaluation tests:
- Objective tests (true/false, multiple choice, test-type, fill-in-the-blank, ordering, etc.): These are measurement instruments that allow for the evaluation of knowledge, skills, performance, aptitudes, etc. The answers are closed-ended, thus promoting objectivity during the scoring process.
- Short answer tests: a type of objective test in which students do not elaborate on their answers and must respond to the specific information requested.
- Case studies, exercises and problems: tests in which students must solve, in a reasoned manner, within a certain time, and according to the established criteria, the cases, exercises or problems posed by the teaching staff, with the aim of applying the knowledge acquired.
- Attendance, participation or attitude in teaching activities, seminars, tutorials, etc.: monitoring student attendance and participation in teaching activities, carrying out activities during teaching sessions.
- Written works, memoirs, internship reports, and projects: a document prepared on a topic or activity carried out, following the instructions established by the teaching staff.
- Oral presentation and defense of topics, assignments, etc.: an oral presentation on a topic related to the micro-credential content or on the results of an assignment, exercise, or project, followed by a discussion with the teaching staff. This can be done individually or in a group.
- Portfolios, journals, notebooks, or practice materials, etc.: a compilation of student work that demonstrates their progress and achievements. This compilation also serves as evidence of self-reflection.
- Observation techniques (records, checklists, attitude scales, etc.): application of methods to describe and record the manifestations of student behavior.
General information
Credits: 3 ECTS
Duration: 11/05/2026 – 22/05/2026
Teaching modality: Virtual
Location: Virtual campus of the University of La Laguna
Valued at: €217.50
The cost of tuition for this Microcredential will be subsidized by the 'Plan for the development of university microcredentials', investment 6 of component 21 of the Addendum to the 'Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan', financed by the European Union – Next Generation EU, year 2025.
Short courses available in various formats (in-person, online, or hybrid). Ideal for learning without interrupting your professional life.
Content created and delivered by professionals and experts in the field, designed for immediate application.
Endorsed by the University of La Laguna. You will receive an official ECTS certificate, valid in the European Higher Education Area.
Teaching staff
Professor in the Pharmacology Department of the Faculty of Pharmacy. Her research focuses on Pharmaceutical Care and the study of medication use.
PhD in Pharmacy, Community Pharmacist and President of FÜNDEC.
PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Valladolid and Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Salamanca. Community pharmacist with research experience and scientific publications, active member of scientific societies in the health and professional fields.
Family and community physician in Zeberio (Bizkaia) and coordinator of the Primary Care Unit in Arrigorriaga. I have a particular interest in patient-centered care, judicious prescribing, and a community-oriented approach to healthcare services. I collaborate on innovative community health projects with FÜNDEC, Osatzen, and the OPIK research group at the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU).
I am Laura Delgado Martín. I am a Family and Community Physician working in the Primary Care Management of Tenerife.
Licensed pharmacist with over 20 years of experience in community pharmacy, specializing in comprehensive pharmaceutical care and pharmacotherapeutic monitoring of chronic and polymedicated patients. Extensive accredited training in professional healthcare services, patient safety, pharmaceutical indications, and health prevention. I also have experience in teaching and health education, both in formal training and in outreach activities aimed at the general public and senior citizens. A professional with a strong commitment to patient care, focused on quality and patient-centered care.
A pharmacy graduate with a deep interest in the healthcare field, I am driven by a desire to fully understand treatments and their impact on patients' quality of life, always striving to contribute positively to their well-being whenever possible. This passion motivates me to pursue continuous training and professional development.
My name is Lincoln. Born in Havana and raised in Tenerife. I am a pharmacist and nutritionist. Passionate about sports, cooking, and knowledge.
