Pharmacotherapeutics Clinical Decision-making in Nursing

This new text integrates the knowledge of both pathophysiology and pharmacology with specific drug and patent variables to help readers understand the importance, meaning and rationale for choosing one drug over another. Divided into four units, the first section focuses on the link between pharmacology and professional nursing practice, explaining the concepts of pharmacotherapeutics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, pharmaceutics, and pharmacoeconomics. The remaining units explore the influence of drugs on various body systems. For a given disease or condition, the text leadsthe reader through treatment objectives, pharmacotherapeutic options, medications, side effects, and the critical thinking process-assessment (including developmental and patient-specific considerations), analysis, implementation and evaluation.Uses a body system organisation to illustrate the correlations between major drug groups and the conditions for which they are used.Features a physiological/pathophysiological approach to explain the physical and cellular causes of specific diseases and the advantage of using certain drugs for therapy.Presents 46 case studies that emphasise the importance of patient, drug, and age-related variables when determining which drug to use for a specific problem. Provides hypothetical controversies to increase awareness of ethical, legal, and practical dilemmas. Critical thinking questions follow each controversy.Includes pharmacokinetics, drug-drug interaction, and drug-regimen tables for easy reference.Offers algorithms and step-by-step figures to illustrate the assessment, clinical application, and knowledge of appropriate pharmacotherapeutic care.