Pharmacology Resources
Pharmacology Resources
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Understanding pharmacology
Understanding pharmacology
Even if you only prescribe in a narrow specialist area, it is imperative to have a good grasp of pharmacology. This is because:
You need to be able to explain medicines to the people you are prescribing for. This includes:
Why they are taking it (indications)
How it works / mechanism of actions
Risks and benefits
Directions, cautions, side-effects, and safety-netting
People in your care will potentially have other conditions and medicines
You need to be aware of possible interactions, cautions and contra-indications
You need to be able to consider if de-prescribing, or medicines optimisation is the best course of action.
Learning Resources
Learning Resources
Learning resources
Learning resources
Students learn in different ways. Some like to read textbooks or journal articles while others are better at learning from practice or watching videos. Some resources recommended by previous students include:
Online videos (You Tube) videos of pharmacology related topics; examples:
Personal Formulary
Personal Formulary
Personal formulary
Personal formulary
For some students, the areas that require the most revision and study are research, pharmacology, and their application to practice. Prescribing programmes aim for you to gain a broad understanding of drugs you will be prescribing regularly, as well as those you may not be prescribing. After gaining the qualification, you are likely to expand your practice and the number of conditions or treatments. To prepare for this, consider identifying several specific medications that you will want to explore to a good depth. In relation to the drugs you expect to prescribe, imagine you had a highly engaged, inquisitive patient who wants to know:
Why this drug - what is it for, what does it do?
How do you know this?
What are the alternatives?
Why this drug specifically what is your research and other evidence for it?
Can you prove to me this is the best drug?
Is it on your local guidelines, or national guidelines?
How is it going to affect me?
How does it act?
What are the side-effects?
Is there anything it will interact with?
Do you have any advice for me?
Will I need any monitoring or follow-up?
etc. depending on the medication
Best practice would suggest that you consider all aspects of the treatments you are delivering and may be prescribing in the future. It is recommended to start a "Personal Formulary" to note the core details for products you work with regularly. There is a "Personal Formulary" section in the prescribing workbook.
There are also Apps available, for instance KCL has a free iTunes App that enables you to write notes for each medication listed. The limitation is that it is a pre-existing list, rather than your own, but you can choose which drugs to keep a record of.
Joint area formularies
Joint area formularies
In your area of practice there is likely to be a jointly agreed formulary that identifies which medicines can be prescribed. These will impact on your prescribing and what you are able to add to you personal formulary, as some items are only available in special circumstances. Activity 2 is to find and explore the formulary in your area of practice. Two examples are provided:
Personal Formulary
Personal Formulary
My Prescribing Personal Formulary.pdfPharmacology quizzes - watch this space!
Pharmacology quizzes - watch this space!
With pharmacology being more science based than some other topics, it may require a different way of learning. In addition to reading materials (textbooks etc.), podcasts and videos, students also report they like to learn by undertaking quizzes and mock exams.
This section is a work in progress, but will include some example pharmacology exam questions. In the meantime, the Workbook contains glossary terms for some of the core pharmacology principles.
Pharmacology Quizzes
Pharmacology Quizzes
Coming soon - watch this space!
References and Recommended Reading
References and Recommended Reading
- Ashelford S., Raynsford J., and Taylor V. (2019) Pathophysiology and Pharmacology in Nursing Second Edition Sage
- Barber, P. & Robertson, D. (2015) Essentials of pharmacology for nurses. Third edition. Maidenhead, Open University Press.
- Bentley J., Heard K., Collins G., Chung C. (2015) Mixing medicines: how to ensure patient safety The Pharmaceutical Journal 14 APR 2015 Available at: Available at: https://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/learning/learning-article/mixing-medicines-how-to-ensure-patient-safety/20068289.article
- Brunton, L.L., Chabner, B., Knollmann, B.C. & Goodman, L.S. (2011) Goodman & Gilman’s the pharmacological basis of therapeutics. 12th ed. New York, McGraw-Hill Medical.
- Greenstein, B., Gould, D. & Trounce, J.R. (2009) Trounce’s clinical pharmacology for nurses. 18th ed. Edinburgh, Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.
- McFadden, R. (2019) Introducing pharmacology for nursing and healthcare. 3rd edition. London, Routledge. https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://shibboleth.derby.ac.uk/idp/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/1185441.
- McGavock, H. (2016) How drugs work: basic pharmacology for healthcare professionals. Fourth edition. Boca Raton, CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/derby/detail.action?docID=5475425.
- Neal, M.J. (2016) Medical pharmacology at a glance. Eighth edition. Chichester, John Wiley & Sons.
- Ritter, J. and Rang, H. P (2019) Rang and Dale's pharmacology Ninth edition Published Edinburgh: Elsevier
- Scholefield, D., Sabti, A. & Harris, A. (2015) Pharmacology case studies for nurse prescribers. London, M&K Update.
- Stockley, I.H. (2016) Stockley’s drug interactions pocket companion 2016. London, Pharmaceutical Press.
- Whittlesea C. & Hodson K. (eds.) (2019) Clinical pharmacy and therapeutics. Sixth edition. [Place of publication not identified], Elsevier.
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