Pharmacology Case Studies for Nurse Prescribers PDF Free Download
An understanding of pharmacological principles is essential for all healthcare professionals involved in administration, patient education and the prescribing aspects of medicine management. This knowledge has become increasingly important with the extension of nurses’ prescribing responsibilities in recent years (DH 2004). Despite the need for a sound knowledge of pharmacological principles, research has shown that nurses sometimes lack in-depth knowledge, particularly in physiology and pharmacology. Indeed studies have shown that nurses themselves are aware of their limited knowledge in these areas (King 2004). Nevertheless, nurses have continued to develop their competencies and advance their level of practice as non-medical prescribers. Nurse prescribers are now practising within every discipline of nursing and midwifery, both in the community and hospital setting. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has set out the standards of education and practice expected of nurse and midwife prescribers (NMC 2006). These standards should be read in conjunction with this text to support professional, ethical and accountable prescribing practice.
The main aim of this book is to provide nurses undertaking the non-medical prescribing (NMP) programme with a basic introduction to pharmacological concepts, embedded in specific conditions, through case studies and self-assessment questions. By utilising a case study approach, we aim to help readers link pharmacological concepts with clinical practice. Nurses who undertake the NMP programme come from a variety of clinical backgrounds but many of the conditions presented here will be commonly seen across all healthcare settings. The text will thus be a helpful resource for all nursing students, for registered nurses who administer medicines and particularly for those students undertaking the NMP programme, who may be unfamiliar with the basic concepts of pharmacology. In addition, the book will help students to understand some of the more technical pharmacology terms used in the British National Formulary (BNF) and may also provide a useful teaching resource for lecturers teaching the non-medical prescribing programme.
