PST06106 Basic Pharmacotherapy – Complete Full Notes
NTA Level 6 • Semester 1 • PST06106 Basic Pharmacotherapy – Complete Full Notes Complete educational source text in one page Completeness safeguard: this page keeps the complete educational module/source wording in one place so learning material is not lost when browsing topic by topic. Presenter/tutor metadata is intentionally excluded. PST 06106 BASIC PHARMACOTHERAPY Session 1: Introduction to Pharmacotherapy Learning objectives By the end of this session students are expected to be able to: Define terminologies used in Pharmacotherapy Describe principles and concepts applied in Pharmacotherapy Explain importance of Pharmacotherapy in the management of common diseases Definition of Common Terminologies used in Pharmacotherapy Pharmacotherapy is application of knowledge in making therapeutic decisions that are most likely to have maximum positive benefit for a specific patient. Pharmacotherapy specialist: is an individual who is specialized in administering and prescribing medication, and requires extensive academic knowledge in pharmacotherapy. Pharmaceutical personel are experts in pharmacotherapy and are responsible for ensuring the safe, appropriate, and economical use of pharmaceutical drugs. Definition of Common Terminologies used in Pharmacotherapy Cont.….. Pathophysiology is the physiology of abnormal states; specifically: the functional changes that accompany a particular syndrome or disease. Also is the study of changes in the way the body works that result from disease or injury Pharmaceutical care involves the process through which a pharmacist/ other pharmaceutical personnel cooperates with a patient and other professionals in designing, implementing, and monitoring a therapeutic plan that will produce specific therapeutic outcomes for the patient Principles and Concepts applied in pharmacotherapy There are three steps that are involved in the Pharmacotherapy process which are ; Patient assessment Development of the pharmacotherapy care plan Evaluation of the impact or results of the care plan Principles and Concepts applied in pharmacotherapy Cont ….. Fig 1.1 Patient Care Process in the Pharmacotherapy Patient Assessment The focus is on drug therapy problems in which case it is important to assess if the patient’s problem(s) is/are be caused by drug therapy and can be managed by a change in drug therapy The following is the list of drug therapy problems that should be identified; Inappropriate drug selection, Need for additional drug therapy Unnecessary drug therapy Incorrect drug regimen Therapeutic duplication Drug allergy/adverse drug event Drug Interactions Medication adherence issues Patient Assessment Cont ….. Once a drug therapy problem is identified and categorized, it is then necessary to identify the cause of the problem, thereby leading to potential solutions. The process of drug therapy problem identification is to assessing the patient’s drug therapy needs and ensuring appropriateness, effectiveness and safety of medications, and the patient’s adherence Pharmacotherapy Care Plan The pharmacotherapy care plan is important in order to achieve improved pharmacotherapy outcomes. It is the action plan developed from assessment of patient described above. Each item in the patient’s problem list must be addressed in the care plan, and the care plan should be prioritized in the same way as the problem list. The pharmacotherapy care plan has several key components for each problem: Current drug regimen Drug therapy problems Therapy goals, desired endpoints Pharmacotherapy Care Plan Cont … The goals of therapy must be achievable and realistic for the patien Drug therapy may aim to cure a disease; reduce or eliminate signs and/or symptoms slow or halt the progression of a disease prevent a disease normalize laboratory values and/or assist in the diagnostic process Therapeutic recommendations Rationale Therapeutic alternatives Monitoring Pharmacotherapy Care Plan C ont … Monitoring helps in determining whether treatment goals and endpoints (achieving positive goals and avoiding negative endpoints) are being reached. An effective monitoring plan must be realistic for the patient setting and include specific monitoring parameters (clinical and laboratory/diagnostic test) frequency of monitoring, and When the patient needs to be seen again for follow-up. Patient education Evaluation The patient care process involves continuous follow-up. As the pharmacotherapy care plan is implemented, the patient’s response to therapy is monitored, and changes in therapy may be necessary. Changes in previous problems or the development of new signs and symptoms will require the assessment process and changes in the pharmacotherapy care plan During the Pharmacotherapy process, it is important to consider/review the following factors for optimal therapeutic outcome ; Evaluation Cont ……. Patient Dermographics —name, age, etc. Chief Complaint—why the patient is seeking help, in the patient’s own words History of Present Illness (HPI)—the patient’s story about why they are seeking help Past Medical History (PMH)—including all significant illnesses, surgical procedures, injuries Family History—age and health of immediate family (parents, siblings, children); for deceased relatives, the age and cause of death are included; any hereditary diseases should be noted E valuation Cont ……. Social History—may include where the patient is from or lives, ethnicity/race, marital status, number of children, educational background, occupation, diet Tobacco/Alcohol/Substance Use Allergy/Intolerances/Adverse Drug Events (ADEs)—a common area where information from the patient is missing or incomplete Medication History—should include current (or medications prior to admission if hospitalized) and previous medications; the list should include what the patient actually is taking, not just what is prescribed, and must include OTC drugs and dietary supplements (including herbal and complementary/alternative products ). Evaluation Cont ……. Signs and symptoms Laboratory and Other Diagnostic Tests Diagnosis . Treatment (Drug) plan Follow-up plan Activity: Small Group Discussion What is the importance of Pharmacotherapy? Importance of pharmacotherapy Helps in optimization of drug treatment in complex pharmacotherapy patients such as; Patients with multiple medications Patients with multiple disease states or conditions Patients on narrow therapeutic index medications Patients on medications requiring laboratory monitoring Helps in optimization of drug therapy in patients with high risk for loss of continuity of care such as; Patients with multiple prescribers Patients with recent transitions of care (e.g., hospital discharge, rehabilitation, skilled nursing facility discharge) Importance of pharmacotherapy cont… Helps in reduction of medication nonadherence especially in patients with; Irregular refill history History of failure to pick up new prescriptions Stockpiling or incorrect pill counts Financial burden (e.g., uninsured or underinsured) Low health literacy Patient’s beliefs indicate resistance to treatment High-cost
