Development and classroom pilot of PK-SIMple: An open-source pharmacokinetics teaching tool for pharmacy students

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dc.contributor.authorMurray, Jack D.
dc.contributor.authorHoffmann, Sophia V.
dc.contributor.authorMaguire, Ryan C.
dc.contributor.authorBennett-Lenane, Harriet
dc.contributor.authorVucen, Sonja
dc.date.accessioned2026-10-21T14:58:01Z
dc.date.available2026-10-21T14:58:01Z
dc.date.issued2026-06-13
dc.description.abstractBackground: Pharmacokinetics is a fundamental component of pharmacy education that students often find challenging due to its quantitative nature. Although instructional pharmacokinetics simulation tools have been previously reported, the requirements for installation, training, or licensing hinders their widespread adoption. Consequently, research demonstrates that the uptake of such software for pharmacy education is limited. Educational activity: To address this gap, we developed PK-SIMple: a python-based Streamlit application that students can open directly in their browser to generate concentration-time profiles. The application was piloted in two 90-min workshops with third-year undergraduate pharmacy students. We detail the development and technical testing of the application to support pharmacy educators wishing to design their own instructional technologies. Evaluation findings: Load-testing demonstrated that PK-SIMple performed quickly and reliably even under high user demand. This was corroborated by the application's real-world performance during the workshops, where the simulation time remained negligible. Both instructors and students were able to work through three case studies independently, demonstrating that the application does not require prior knowledge or specialist instruction for use. Analysis of educational activity: PK-SIMple reflects principles of Universal Design for Learning by offering inherent flexibility in the level of theory that can be incorporated into a simulation. Our experience illustrates that the development of in-house technologies, though technically demanding, is both feasible and rewarding for pharmacy students and educators. An international, multi-institutional study is planned to assess the impact of PK-SIMple on students' enjoyment and understanding of pharmacokinetics.en
dc.description.versionPublished Version
dc.format.extent9
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.articleid102719
dc.identifier.authororcidMurray, Jack D.§0000-0002-8168-1586
dc.identifier.authororcidHoffmann, Sophia V.
dc.identifier.authororcidMaguire, Ryan C.
dc.identifier.authororcidBennett-Lenane, Harriet§0000-0001-7736-9066
dc.identifier.authororcidVucen, Sonja§0000-0003-0140-0121
dc.identifier.citationMurray, J D, Hoffmann, S V, Maguire, R C, Bennett-Lenane, H & Vucen, S 2026, 'Development and classroom pilot of PK-SIMple: An open-source pharmacokinetics teaching tool for pharmacy students', Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, vol. 18, no. 10, 102719, pp. 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2026.102719
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.cptl.2026.102719
dc.identifier.endpage9
dc.identifier.issn1877-1297
dc.identifier.issued10
dc.identifier.journaltitleCurrents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-8168-1586/work/230882147
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0003-0140-0121/work/230882220
dc.identifier.startpage1
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/19485
dc.identifier.volume18
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier Inc.
dc.relation.urihttps://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105041503290
dc.rights© 2026, authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
dc.rights.accessrightsopen access
dc.rights.licensenameAttribution 4.0 International
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.statusPeer reviewed
dc.subjectEducational technologies
dc.subjectPharmacokinetic modelling
dc.subjectPharmacokinetics
dc.subjectPython
dc.subjectUniversal design for learning
dc.subject[Pharmacy]
dc.titleDevelopment and classroom pilot of PK-SIMple: An open-source pharmacokinetics teaching tool for pharmacy studentsen
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)
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