Understanding Pharmacodynamics: How Drugs Work in the Body Study Guide
This guide explores the core principles of pharmacodynamics, detailing how drugs exert their effects on the body. It covers essential concepts such as mechanisms of action, the role of receptors and enzymes, dose-response relationships, and the critical differences between drug potency and efficacy. Learn about key metrics like ED50, TD50, LD50, Therapeutic Index, and Margin of Safety, which are crucial for understanding drug effectiveness and safety in clinical practice. The guide also touches
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Pharmacology Fundamentals, Regulations, and Individual Drug Responses
Pharmacology Fundamentals and Classification of Therapeutic Agents
An introduction to pharmacology, including the study of medications, therapeutics, and the classification of therapeutic agents.
- Pharmacology
- Drug
- Medication
- Therapeutics
- Pharmacotherapeutics
- Traditional medications
- Biologics
- Biosimilars
Pharmacology Fundamentals and Classification of Therapeutic Agents
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Introduction to Pharmacology and Drug Regulations
Classification of therapeutic agents, types of drugs, and regulation of natural health products in Canada.
- Classification of Therapeutic Agents
- Natural health products (NHPs)
- Complementary and alternative therapies
- Prescription drugs (Rx)
- Over-the-Counter drugs (OTC)
- Illicit/Illegal drugs
- Natural Health Products Regulations
- Food and Drug Act
- Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate (NNHPD)
Pharmacology and Canadian Drug Regulations
This content covers Canadian drug regulations, the drug approval process, and sources for pharmaceutical information.
- Prescription versus OTC drugs
- Health Products and Food Branch
- Food and Drug Act and Regulations
- Pharmaceutical Drugs Directorate
- Biologic and Radiopharmaceutical Drugs Directorate
- Natural and Nonprescription Health Products Directorate
- Clinical Trial Phases
- New Drug Submission
- Drug Information Number
- Notice of Compliance
- Patented Medicine Prices Review Board
- Special Access Program
- Compendium of Pharmaceutical and Specialties
Legal and Ethical Nursing Considerations
Nursing practice involves legal considerations, ethical principles, and the use of placebos in research.
- Nursing practice standards of care
- Scope of practice
- Case law
- Common law
- Canadian Nurses Association
- Accreditation Canada
- Ethical principles
- Autonomy
- Beneficence
- Nonmaleficence
- Justice
- Fidelity
- Veracity
- International Council of Nurses Code of Ethics for Nurses
- Informed decision making
- Privacy and confidentiality
- Accountability
- Placebo
- Experimental drug studies
- Informed consent process
Individual, Psychosocial, and Cultural Drug Responses
A holistic approach to pharmacotherapy recognizes that psychosocial, cultural, environmental, and biological variables influence individual drug responses.
- Holistic approach to pharmacotherapy
- Psychosocial influences
- Spiritual considerations
- Cultural and ethnic considerations
- Cultural humility
- Cultural safety
- Culturally competent care
- Ethnicity and genetic heritage
- Psychosocial history
- Biological variables
Influences on Individual and Community Pharmacotherapy
Community and environmental factors, genetic influences, and gender differences impact pharmacotherapy, drug metabolism, and client responses to medications.
- Community composition
- Socioeconomic status
- Access to care
- Literacy
- Genetic polymorphism
- Drug metabolism
- Pharmacogenetics
- Pharmacogenomics
- Gender influences
- Body composition
- Pharmacokinetics
Side Effects, Adverse Effects, Allergies, and Idiosyncratic Reactions
This material covers side effects, adverse effects, drug allergies, and idiosyncratic reactions including prevention strategies and reporting systems.
- Side effects
- Adverse effects
- Drug allergies
- Idiosyncratic reactions
- Canadian Adverse Drug Reaction Information System (CADRIS)
- Prevention of adverse effects
- Hyperresponse of body's defenses
Drug Classes and Nomenclature
This content describes characteristics of an ideal drug, therapeutic and pharmacologic classifications, and the three basic types of drug names.
- Characteristics of an ideal drug
- Therapeutic classification
- Pharmacologic classification
- Indication
- Mechanism of action
- Prototype drug
- Chemical names
- Generic names
- Trade names
- Bioavailability
Drug Schedules and Pharmacotherapy in Canada
This content outlines drug schedules in Canada, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, and nursing considerations for pharmacotherapy and medication administration.
- Drug Schedules in Canada
- Schedule I, II, III, and Unscheduled drugs
- Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA)
- Food and Drug Regulations (FDR)
- Narcotic drugs
- Controlled substances
- Drug Strategy and Controlled Substances Programme (DSCSP)
- Cannabis use and medical production
- Pharmacotherapy and nursing practice
- Nursing process considerations
- Patient rights in medication administration
Fundamentals of Pharmacodynamics and Pharmacokinetics
Fundamentals of Pharmacodynamics and Drug Response
Pharmacodynamics refers to what the drug does to the body to create a response through interactions with a receptor or an enzyme.
- Mechanism of action
- Inter-individual variability
- Median Effective Dose (ED50)
- Median Toxic Dose (TD50)
- Median Lethal Dose (LD50)
- Therapeutic Index (TI)
- Margin of Safety (MOS)
Fundamentals of Pharmacodynamics and Drug Response
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Graded Dose-Response Relationship and Pharmacodynamics
The graded dose-response relationship describes the relationship between dose of drug and intensity of drug response through potency and efficacy.
- Graded Dose-Response Relationship
- Phase 1
- Phase 2 linear phase
- Phase 3 plateau phase
- Potency
- Efficacy
- Receptors
- Enzymes
Fundamentals of Pharmacodynamics and Receptor Interactions
This material covers drug potency, efficacy, and the mechanisms of cellular receptor interactions including agonists, partial agonists, and antagonists.
- Potency
- Efficacy
- Cellular Receptors
- Intrinsic activity
- Cell signalling
- Agonists
- Partial agonists
- Antagonists
Introduction to Pharmacokinetics Processes
Pharmacokinetics is the study of drug movement through the body describing what the body does to a drug as it enters the blood, moves to target tissues, is metabolized, and is removed.
- Absorption
- Distribution
- Metabolism
- Excretion
- Route of administration
- Client characteristics
Pharmacokinetics and Drug Distribution Factors
Drug distribution involves the transportation of drugs throughout the body to target tissue, influenced by blood flow, drug solubility, and drug-protein binding.
- Drug distribution
- Blood flow to target tissue
- Drug solubility
- Hydrophilic drugs
- Lipophilic drugs
- Drug-protein binding
- Plasma proteins
- Albumin
- Blood–brain barrier
- Fetal–placental barrier
Pharmacokinetics: Drug Metabolism and Excretion
Metabolism alters the structure and function of drugs through microsomal enzymes like Cytochrome P450, while excretion involves the removal of drugs from the body via renal, pulmonary, glandular, or fecal routes.
- Metabolism
- Liver metabolism
- Metabolites
- Prodrug
- Cytochrome P450 (CYP)
- Drug-drug interactions
- Enzyme inhibition
- Enzyme induction
- Excretion
- Renal excretion
- Pulmonary excretion
- Glandular secretion
- Fecal and biliary excretion
- Enterohepatic recirculation
Pharmacokinetics and Time-Response Relationships
This content explores time-response relationships including therapeutic range, onset, duration, termination, and drug half-life in pharmacokinetics.
- therapeutic range
- toxic range
- onset
- duration
- termination
- peak plasma concentration
- drug half-life
- loading dose
- maintenance doses
- drug absorption
Drug Toxicity and Adverse Reactions
Recognizing and managing signs of drug toxicity including nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, dermatologic toxicity, bone marrow toxicity, cardiotoxicity, and skeletal muscle and tendon toxicity.
- Nephrotoxicity
- Neurotoxicity
- Hepatotoxicity
- Dermatologic Toxicity
- Bone Marrow Toxicity
- Cardiotoxicity
- Skeletal Muscle and Tendon Toxicity
- Ototoxicity
- Anaphylaxis
- Pancytopenia
- Rhabdomyolysis
Drug Effects, Adverse Reactions, and Interactions
Drug interactions may affect pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics through drug-drug, food-drug, or herb-drug interactions.
- Pharmacokinetic drug interactions
- Absorption
- Distribution
- Metabolism
- Excretion
- Pharmacodynamic drug interactions
- Additive effect
- Synergistic effect
- Antagonistic effect
- Food-drug interactions
- Enzyme inducers
- Enzyme inhibitors
- Prodrugs
- Plasma protein binding
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