LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the learning experience the learners shall be able to

• Describe the history of pharmacology
• Define the concepts of pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
• Explain drug classification and schedules
• Discuss principles of drug administration
• Explain the general aspects of pharmacology, pharmacodynamics and drug interactions

INTRODUCTION

Pharmacology is the science that deals with the properties and characteristics of medicines. The human body functions through a complicated series of chemical reactions and process.  Drugs are chemicals that are introduced into the body to cause a biological effect.  When drugs are administered, there are a sequence of processes that handle the new chemicals including the breakdown and elimination of the drugs from the body.  Understanding how the drugs act on the body to cause changes and applying that knowledge in clinical settings are important aspects of nursing practice.  For example patients often follow complicated drug regimens and receive potentially toxic drugs.  In addition some drugs interact with other drugs and some food stuffs.   Therefore, the nurse is in a unique position regarding drug therapy because nursing responsibilities include the following:

• Administering drugs
• Assessing drug effects
• Intervening to make drug regimens more tolerable
• Providing patient teaching about and the drug regimen
• Monitoring the overall patient care plan to prevent medication errors