Clinical Pharmacology for Nursing 1

Course Number:: NRS 237
Transcript Title:: Clinical Pharmacology for Nursing 1
Created:: Apr 30, 2024
Updated:: May 01, 2024
Total Credits:: 2
Lecture Hours:: 20
Lecture / Lab Hours:: 0
Lab Hours:: 0
Satisfies Cultural Literacy requirement:: No
Satisfies General Education requirement:: No
Grading Options: A-F
Default Grading Options: A-F
Repeats available for credit:: 0

Prerequisites

Admission to the Nursing Program.

Course Description

Introduces the theoretical background providing safe and effective care related to use of drugs and natural products by individuals throughout their lifespan. Covers the foundational concepts and principles of pharmacology, as well as numerous classes of drugs, including: over the counter drugs, antidiabetics and hormone therapies, nonopioid analgesics, opioid analgesics, and antibiotics. Develops skills for making selected clinical decisions in the context of nursing regarding the use of current, reliable sources of information, understanding pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, interpreting developmental physiologic considerations, monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of drug therapy, teaching individuals from diverse populations regarding safe and effective use of drugs and natural products, intervening to increase therapeutic benefits and reduce potential negative effects, and communicating appropriately with other health professionals regarding drug therapy. Studies drugs by therapeutic or pharmacological class, using an organized framework. The first course in the three course Clinical Pharmacology for Nursing series. Prerequisite: Admission to the Nursing Program. Corequisites: NRS 110, NRS 234.

Course Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Select pertinent information about drugs and natural products from current, reliable sources of information.
Evaluate the effectiveness of drug therapies, including: over the counter drugs, antidiabetics and hormone therapies, nonopioid analgesics, opioid analgesics, and antibiotics.
Teach patients, family members, and others from diverse populations across the lifespan regarding safe and effective use of drugs and natural products.
Identify appropriate nursing interventions to increase the therapeutic benefits and reduce potential negative effects of drug therapy.
Communicate appropriately with other health professionals regarding drug therapy.

Suggested Outcome Assessment Strategies

The determination of assessment strategies is generally left to the discretion of the instructor. Here are some strategies that you might consider when designing your course: writings (journals, self-reflections, pre writing exercises, essays), quizzes, tests, midterm and final exams, group projects, presentations (in person, videos, etc), self-assessments, experimentations, lab reports, peer critiques, responses (to texts, podcasts, videos, films, etc), student generated questions, Escape Room, interviews, and/or portfolios.

Department suggestions: exams, poster presentations, group projects, medication concept map

Course Activities and Design

The determination of teaching strategies used in the delivery of outcomes is generally left to the discretion of the instructor. Here are some strategies that you might consider when designing your course: lecture, small group/forum discussion, flipped classroom, dyads, oral presentation, role play, simulation scenarios, group projects, service learning projects, hands-on lab, peer review/workshops, cooperative learning (jigsaw, fishbowl), inquiry based instruction, differentiated instruction (learning centers), graphic organizers, etc.

Course Content

Outcome #1: Select pertinent information about drugs and natural products from current, reliable sources of information.

Identification of appropriate reliable sources of information in specific nursing situations
- Regulatory agencies and drug approval process
- Drug names (generic and trade
- Pharmaceutic issues
rapid and accurate retrieval of pertinent information from a current drug guide
accurate retrieval of information from a comprehensive drug information source

Outcome #2: Evaluate the effectiveness of drug therapies, including: over the counter drugs, antidiabetics and hormone therapies, nonopioid analgesics, opioid analgesics, and antibiotics.

Review the chemical structures of drugs and how they are metabolized in the body:
- Pharmacokinetic
- Pharmacodynamics
Selection and interpretation of basic focused nursing assessments to detect therapeutic effects, adverse effects, and drug-drug, drug-food, and drug-natural product interactions for specific classes of drugs,
- Over the counter drugs
- Antidiabetics and hormone therapy
- Nonopioid Analgesics
- Opioid Analgesics
- Antibiotics
Surveillance for vulnerability to negative effects of specific classes of drugs based on age, developmental physiology, genetic polymorphisms, and concurrent pathophysiology, psychopathology, or other factors.

Outcome #3: Teach patients, family members, and others from diverse populations across the lifespan regarding safe and effective use of drugs and natural products.

Drugs to focus on: Over the Counter drugs, Antidiabetic drugs, Nonopioid and Opioid Analgesics and Antibiotics:

self-management of specific classes of over-the-counter and prescription drugs that are used episodically,
- self-management of specific classes of drugs that are taken for chronic conditions,
- how the action of specific classes of drugs relates to developmental, maturational, aging, neurochemical, and pathophysiological processes, or normal physiology,
- which adverse effects of specific classes of drugs and natural products to self-manage and which ones to report to health professionals, and
- how to avoid or recognize drug-drug, drug-food, and drug-natural product interactions with specific classes of drugs.

Outcome #4: Identify appropriate nursing interventions to increase therapeutic benefits and reduce potential negative effects of drug therapy.

Focus on drug classes assigned in #2

identification of basic nonpharmacological nursing interventions that potentially enhance the effectiveness of specific classes of drugs and
assessment of barriers to adherence to drug therapy, including social determinants of health, with specific classes of drugs.

Outcome #5: Communicate appropriately with other health professionals regarding drug therapy