Summary

This full-color pharmacology textbook is full of innovative, user-friendly features such as prototype drug charts, nursing process sections, and an extensive math/dosage calculations section. The 5th edition has been completely updated and includes a Companion CD-ROM that contains animations, NCLEX® examination-style review questions, printable IV therapy and medication safety checklists, drug calculation problems, and convenient electronic calculators. A separate drug calculations section - Medications and Calculations - features 65 pages of math review and step-by-step instructions for dosage calculations using the four primary methods - basic formula, ratio and proportion, dimensional analysis, and fractional equation. Nursing Process sections relate nursing care to drug therapy. Each step of the nursing process includes concise actions for the plan of care in relation to treatment for selected drug prototypes. A chapter on Principles of Drug Administration features comprehensive coverage of the procedures for administering drugs. It addresses all routes of administration and various settings. Unit openers for drug therapy chapters include an illustrated overview of normal anatomy and physiology, giving readers the foundation for understanding how the drug works in that body system. Herbal Alert boxes highlight various herbal products and their interactions with drugs. More than 100 detailed Prototype Drug Charts list the following information: dosage, indication, contraindication, drug-lab-food interactions, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic effects, side effects, and adverse reactions. Highlighted Client Teaching, Cultural Considerations, and Herbal Alerts are included in the Nursing Process sections to emphasize key implications for nurses. Client Teaching in the nursing process sections guide readers through instructions for teaching patients about medication, self-administration, dietary concerns, and side effects. Includes a separate Transcultural and Genetic Considerations chapter. Critical Thinking Case Studies and Study Questions at the end of each chapter present readers with a clinical scenario and several questions that reinforce key concepts and encourage critical thinking. A new chapter on substance abuse addresses this important aspect of the nurse's role in pharmacology. Preventing Medication Errors boxes draw attention to important safety considerations and present guidelines from the Institute for Safe Medication Practice (ISMP). Critical Thinking Case Study boxes provide clinical scenarios and questions to sharpen analytical and critical thinking skills. Now includes step-by-step instructions for dosage calculations using dimensional analysis. Web sites, organizations, and research database information are available at the end of clinical chapters for further review and research. The newest JCAHO guidelines for medication safety are applied throughout the text and the abbreviations appendix has been revised to reflect these updates. Includes a new Herb/Drug Interaction chart, as well as new sugar-free and alcohol-free drug lists. Features updated coverage of pain as the fifth vital sign. Look-alike/sound-alike drugs are highlighted throughout to promote safe drug administration. Includes a list of the 200 most frequently prescribed drugs. Electronic Resources boxes at the beginning of each chapter direct readers to additional learning activities available on the Companion CD and the Evolve website.