Abstract

Emphasizing safe and effective drug administration, Introduction to Clinical Pharmacology, 8th Edition helps you understand the principles of pharmacology and avoid making medication errors. It promotes safety by showing how drugs and drug classes work, rather than asking you to simply memorize information about individual drugs, so you can understand why drugs are given, as well as when they should and should not be given. Safety is also prioritized with an interactive review of math and drug dosage calculation on the Evolve companion website. Written by Dr. Marilyn Edmunds, a nationally known journal editor and nurse practitioner, Introduction to Clinical Pharmacology highlights ‘must-know’ drugs — the ones seen most often in clinical practice.

• A focus on understanding drug classes rather than memorizing individual drugs helps you understand the actions and uses of drug classes and provides a framework for safe, effective practice as new drugs are introduced to the market.
• Get Ready for the NLCEX Examination! section includes Review Questions, Case Studies, Critical Thinking Questions and a Drug Calculation Review to help you prepare for pharmacology questions on the NCLEX-PN Exam.
• Application of the nursing process to each drug class is provided in the Nursing Implications and Patient Teaching section and always covers Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation, and Patient and Family Teaching.
• Drug Calculation Review questions reinforce your drug calculation and math skills in the context of clinical practice.
• Case studies in all drug chapters offer practice in applying information to realistic clinical situations and help you prepare for the NCLEX-PN Examination.
• Critical thinking questions at the end of each chapter promote higher-level thinking skills while reinforcing key concepts.
• 30 must-know drugs — those most commonly prescribed — are highlighted with special icons and listed on the inside cover for quick reference.
• A study guide corresponds to the textbook and offers a wide variety of exercises, learning activities, and review questions to reinforce your understanding of nursing pharmacology. Available separately.
• Clarity and readability make the content easy to learn.
• Key content is highlighted, with features such as Clinical Goldmines, Clinical Pitfalls, Memory Joggers, Lifespan Considerations, and Complementary and Alternative Therapies boxes.
• Consistent chapter format covers each drug class with Action, Uses, Adverse Reactions, Drug and Food Interactions, and Nursing Implications and Patient Teaching sections.
• Vivid, full-color design includes more than 100 drawings and photographs.
• Do Not Confuse drug list is located on the inside cover for quick reference, helping you avoid drug errors with common look-alike or sound-alike drug names.
• Canadian drug icons identify trade-name drugs available only in Canada.
• Glossary includes all of the book’s key terms plus additional terminology that will be helpful in clinical practice, with audio pronunciations on Evolve.