The times they are K+-changin': bringing the potassium curriculum out of the 20th century

Although most of the current medical education literature has focused on teaching strategies, little attention has been devoted to selecting appropriate course content. Despite elegant descriptions of physiologic mechanisms in recent decades, medical school curricula and students continue to rely on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCurrent opinion in nephrology and hypertension Vol. 33; no. 2; p. 186
Main Authors Hoenig, Melanie P, Lecker, Stewart H, William, Jeffrey H
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 01.03.2024
Subjects
Curriculum
Education, Medical
Humans
Kidney - physiology
Potassium
Students, Medical
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Summary:Although most of the current medical education literature has focused on teaching strategies, little attention has been devoted to selecting appropriate course content. Despite elegant descriptions of physiologic mechanisms in recent decades, medical school curricula and students continue to rely on outdated textbooks and certification examination study aids composed to fit an antiquated exam blueprint. Advances in our understanding of potassium physiology offer multiple examples of key concepts that deserve to be included in the modern-day renal physiology curriculum, including the relationship of potassium to blood pressure and the potassium 'switch', the aldosterone paradox, and novel pharmacologic agents that target dietary potassium absorption and potassium handling in the kidney. Key advances in our understanding and application of renal physiology to patient care have not been readily integrated into the nephrology curriculum of medical students. Difficult questions remain regarding when new concepts are sufficiently established to be introduced to medical students in the preclinical years.
ISSN:1473-6543
DOI:10.1097/MNH.0000000000000958