Understanding Pharmacology in Nursing Practice

Book excerpt: This textbook provides a structured, informed approach to the understanding and appreciation of drug action and effect providing a detailed description and discussion of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics for nurses.The text focuses and emphasizes safe prescribing and administration of medication highlighting the possible harm to patient in terms of adverse reactions. This book also includes the seldom addressed facet of pharmacotherapeutics; drug formulation as applied to practice, and adverse reactions. It informs on the medication used to manage diabetes mellitus, respiratory disease, gastrointestinal tract, the central nervous system and many other affections. Uniting these essential pharmacological processes and applying them to physiological system based medications, this work highlights issues relevant to drug interaction and important nursing responsibilities associated with administration/prescribing. The overall aim of the text is to equip the nurse with an understanding of issues related to pharmacotherapeutics that is aligned to current nursing roles and statutory requirements.