Pharmacology for the Health Care Professions (PDF)

Pharmacology for the Health Care Professions is an
accessible introduction to the pharmacology necessary for health
care professionals training to be non-medical
prescribers looking for an overview of the subject. The
book covers the pharmacology necessary for accredited training
programmes in non-medical prescribing and certification in access
and supply of prescription-only medicines and will be useful as an
ongoing reference for future use in practice.

Opening with a general introduction to pharmacology as a
science, the book goes on to explain what is meant by drugs and
medicines and why pharmacology should be of relevance to health
care professionals. The reader is presented with general
principles of pharmacology followed by systemic pharmacology that
covers the actions of important groups of drugs in common use to
treat diseases and conditions of the cardiovascular, respiratory,
endocrine, musculoskeletal, skin and central nervous systems.
The physiology and pathophysiology relevant to the understanding of
how these drugs work is included.

Finally the book explores the law in relation to the sale,
supply, administration and prescription of drugs and explains what
is meant by non-medical prescribing. All aspects of
non-medical prescribing are considered including the use of
exemptions to the Medicines Act, patient group directions,
supplementary prescribing and the development of independent
prescribing for nurses and pharmacists.

Pharmacology is explained in simple, easy to understand terms
and the book avoids any unnecessary chemistry where possible.
Case studies that are of particular relevance to health care
professionals are used throughout to illustrate the importance of
the pharmacology major body systems and pathologies and the
potential problems of adverse drug reactions and drug-drug
interactions.