Understanding Pharmacology

Pharmacology can be difficult. But with the right text, understanding drugs and how they work doesn’t have to be! Using easy-to-follow language and engaging learning tools — like Memory Joggers, Clinical Pitfalls, Do Not Confuse, and Drug Alerts — the second edition of Understanding Pharmacology: Essentials for Medication Safety helps readers really understand how drugs work. In addition to the popular critical thinking activities from the first edition, the second edition also includes more chapter review questions, updated content, and a new organization that centers on the different body systems. For students who have a limited background in the sciences and want complete preparation for licensure exams and clinical practice, there is no better choice than Understanding Pharmacology, 2nd Edition! Entire unit reviewing math, weights and measures, and dosage calculation minimizes readers’ anxiety and promotes medication safety. Clever, easy-to-recognize margin icons help visual learners remember essential side effects of drugs. Simplified heading structure replaces intimidating terminology (i.e. pharmacokinetics) with simplified language (How These Drugs Work) to increase understanding of concepts. Drug Alert!, Do-Not-Confuse, and Clinical Pitfall boxes highlight important tips for safe medication administration. Memory Jogger boxes help readers remember important drug information. Get Ready for Practice sections at the end of each chapter include key points, chapter review questions, and critical thinking activities to reinforce learning. 10th grade reading level uses straightforward, everyday language to really enhance readers’ understanding of pharmacology concepts. Incorporation of adult learning theory features both a simple to complex organization of material along with answers to why readers need to learn something. NEW! Body system organization helps readers better understand drugs that are specific to particular body systems. NEW! More chapter review questions have been added to the text. All review questions are now organized into one of two categories: Test Yourself on the Basics and Test Yourself on Advanced Concepts.

Using language and organization aimed directly at pharmacy technicians, Understanding Pharmacology for Pharmacy Technicians offers more than 700 pages of practical applications, safety issues and error prevention, and illustrative cases that not only explain how but why. Throughout the book, anatomy and physiology are discussed in relation to various disorders and associated pharmacotherapies to give the pharmacy technician students a context for how drugs work. Students using this book will learn the therapeutic effects of prescription medications, nonprescription medications, and alternative therapies commonly used to treat diseases affecting that system, and their adverse effects. An emphasis is placed on practical applications for the technician. What types of issues will technicians encounter at work? What is their role in patient education? How do they work with the pharmacist? Key features throughout the book: 77 case studies, including 249 case study questions More than 1,200 drugs discussed Pronunciations for difficult terms or words such as disease names Numerous figures and illustrations Alerts that point out areas of potential dangers or errors, including look-alike/sound-alike drugs. 335 practice points, including mention of any FDA-required patient medication guides, and any “special” drug storage and dispensing considerations, including beyond-use dating of open multi-use products. 110 commonly used and comprehensive drug tables. Chapter review questions The book’s content is written to meet ASHP accreditation standards and, therefore, is one of the most comprehensive books on the market related to pharmacology for technicians. For additional resources related to the book, visit www.ashp.org/techpharmacology.

This textbook provides a structured, informed approach to the understanding and appreciation of drug action and effect providing a detailed description and discussion of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics for nurses.The text focuses and emphasizes safe prescribing and administration of medication highlighting the possible harm to patient in terms of adverse reactions. This book also includes the seldom addressed facet of pharmacotherapeutics; drug formulation as applied to practice, and adverse reactions. It informs on the medication used to manage diabetes mellitus, respiratory disease, gastrointestinal tract, the central nervous system and many other affections. Uniting these essential pharmacological processes and applying them to physiological system based medications, this work highlights issues relevant to drug interaction and important nursing responsibilities associated with administration/prescribing. The overall aim of the text is to equip the nurse with an understanding of issues related to pharmacotherapeutics that is aligned to current nursing roles and statutory requirements.

Intended for use in an introductory pharmacology course, Basic Pharmacology: Understanding Drug Actions and Reactions provides an in-depth discussion of how to apply the chemical and molecular pharmacology concepts, a discussion students need for more advanced study. The textbook introduces the principles of chemistry and biology necessary to understand drug interactions at the cellular level. The authors highlight chemical and physical properties of drugs, drug absorption and distribution, drug interactions with cellular receptors, and drug metabolism and elimination. The book begins with a review of chemical principles as they apply to drug molecules, focusing mainly on those for commonly prescribed drugs. The authors use drug structures to illustrate the chemical concepts learned in general and organic chemistry courses. They cover the dynamics of receptors in mediating the pharmacological effects of drugs. They clarify theories, drawn from the scientific literature, which explain drug-receptor interactions and the quantitative relationship between drug binding and its effects at the cellular level. The authors’ extensive use of drug structures for teaching chemical and molecular pharmacology principles, and their emphasis on the relevance of these principles in future professional life makes this book unique. It provides the framework for better understanding of advanced pharmacology and therapeutics topics. Blending medicinal chemistry and pharmacodynamics aspects, this textbook clearly elucidates the essential concepts that form the cornerstone for further work in pharmacology.

NEW! Clinical Judgment questions at the end of each clinical chapter offer additional self-assessment on pharmacology and medication administration. NEW! Critical Point for Safety boxes emphasize very important pharmacologic concepts to remember. NEW! Approximately 40 animations on the companion Evolve website supplement important concepts related to understanding pharmacology. NEW! Printed answer key with rationales in the back of the book makes it easy to check your answers and assess your comprehension. UPDATED! Revised drug tables provide adult dosages and nursing implications for individual drugs.

Pharmacology can be difficult. But with the right text, understanding drugs and how they work doesn't have to be! Using easy-to-follow language and engaging learning tools - like Memory Joggers, Clinical Pitfalls, Do Not Confuse, and Drug Alerts - the second edition of Understanding Pharmacology: Essentials for Medication Safety helps readers really understand how drugs work. In addition to the popular critical thinking activities from the first edition, the second edition also includes more chapter review questions, updated content, and a new organization that centers on the different body systems. For students who have a limited background in the sciences and want complete preparation for licensure exams and clinical practice, there is no better choice than Understanding Pharmacology, 2nd Edition! Entire unit reviewing math, weights and measures, and dosage calculation minimizes readers' anxiety and promotes medication safety. Clever, easy-to-recognize margin icons help visual learners remember essential side effects of drugs. Simplified heading structure replaces intimidating terminology (i.e. pharmacokinetics) with simplified language (How These Drugs Work) to increase understanding of concepts. Drug Alert!, Do-Not-Confuse, and Clinical Pitfall boxes highlight important tips for safe medication administration. Memory Jogger boxes help readers remember important drug information. Get Ready for Practice sections at the end of each chapter include key points, chapter review questions, and critical thinking activities to reinforce learning. 10th grade reading level uses straightforward, everyday language to really enhance readers' understanding of pharmacology concepts. Incorporation of adult learning theory features both a simple to complex organization of material along with answers to why readers need to learn something. NEW! Body system organization helps readers better understand drugs that are specific to particular body systems. NEW! More chapter review questions have been added to the text. All review questions are now organized into one of two categories: Test Yourself on the Basics and Test Yourself on Advanced Concepts.

Corresponding to the chapters in Understanding Pharmacology: Essentials for Medication Safety, 2nd Edition, this study guide offers content review, a wide range of engaging activities, and medication safety practice questions to help users master pharmacology concepts, learn drug safety, and practice dosage calculation. Medication safety practice questions help users review math skills in the context of patient care through realistic scenarios. Learning activities in a variety of engaging formats reinforce important concepts and information for each chapter. Practice quizzes at the end of each chapter help users prepare for exams and ensure content mastery. Study tips for users who speak English as a second language provide extra help for ESL users.