ch. 1 orientation to pharm Flashcards
Pharmacology is part of multiple disciplines from
anatomy
physiology
psychology
chemistry
microbiology
Drug:
any chemical that can affect living processes
Pharmacology:
the study of drugs and their interactions with living systems (physical and chemical properties of drugs and their effects)
- drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion
Clinical Pharmacology:
study of drugs in humans
Therapeutics: (pharmacotherapeutics)
the use of drugs to diagnose, prevent, or treat disease or to prevent pregnancy; medical use of drugs
3 main properties of an ideal drugs
effectiveness: most important!!**; drug does what it’s supposed to do
safety: does not produce harmful effects, even in very high doses (all rugs can cause injury)
selectivity: only does what it is supposed to do
reversible action:
want drug actions to subside within an appropriate time frame (anesthetics)
predictability:
want to know what it will do
ease of admin:
simple to take/give; helps with pt adherence and decrease admin errors
freedom from drug interact:
no interactions between drugs taken concurrently
low cost:
one of the most expensive drugs out there, mavenclad $60,000/mon
chemical stability:
lose efficacy (effictiveness) if sits on shelf too long; have expiration dates
simple generic name:
pt can’t communicate what they are taking (can’t pronounce)= increased risk of error
therapeutic objective of drug therapy is:
provide MAXIMUM benefit with MINIMAL harm
Administration:
too much= toxicity
too little= treatment failure
route
time
med errors: who/how
