Health Condition

Create a 10–12-slide PowerPoint presentation to identify medications  associated with a chosen disease or health condition, explain the  actions and side effects of the medications, and discuss any  controversies related to the medications. Explain a treatment regime,  including pharmacology, for the disease or health condition you  selected, along with how the treatment regime may affect a client’s  lifestyle.

By having a thorough understanding of pharmacology, nurses can  eliminate possible medication errors in their nursing practices. The  basic principles of pharmacology include pharmacokinetics (what the body  does to a drug) and pharmacodynamics (what a drug does to the body).  Pharmacology plays a significant role in the nursing profession, so it  is extremely important for nurses to understand the actions of the  pharmacological agents they will administer to patients in order to  intervene appropriately if necessary. 

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Another critical skill for a nurse is the ability to apply and  evaluate evidence-based practices, principles, models, and  pharmacological guidelines and protocols commonly used in nursing  practice. Understanding how specific protocols and guidelines are  developed will aid nurses in treating patients with a multitude of  physiological and psychological conditions.

Nurses must be able to measure outcomes of pharmacological  interventions when caring for patients. The effective use of  evidence-based practice guidelines, models, and principles is one way  that nurses can analyze quality outcomes for the pharmacological  treatments used for patients.

Pharmacology includes different categories of major drugs used in  the treatment of primary diseases. The same drug may be used to treat  more than one disease or condition, while two patients with the same  disease may require different drug treatments. In addition, the  professional nurse must be aware of what types of things can influence a  patient’s response to a drug. Some things are obvious—other  medications, for example—while some are less so. Things like age,  weight, herbs—even foods people eat every day—can influence how a person  responds to a particular drug. At times, even a strong cultural belief  can influence how a drug will react. Nurses who administer drugs have a  responsibility to assess patients for both the desired response, as well  as for any unwanted and potentially harmful reactions that may occur.

Imagine your supervisor has asked you to conduct a lunch and learn  session to educate your fellow nursing staff on pharmacological  interventions.

Preparation

Select a disease or health condition that requires pharmacological  intervention. You may choose any disease or health condition you wish,  but the disease or health condition must be relevant to nurses from a  variety of settings (for example: ER, pediatrics, public health, et  cetera).

Requirements

Once you have selected a disease or health condition, create a  PowerPoint presentation you could use in your lunch and learn session,  including the following:

• Identify the disease or health condition you have chosen, along  with the areas where nurses are likely to see it. (Do this in the agenda  slide or next slide after the agenda.)
• Identify the three drugs used most often in the treatment of the disease or health condition.
• Explain the types of actions, side effects, indications, and  contraindications that could be expected from the pharmacological  treatment.
• Describe the treatment regime most often prescribed for the  disease or health condition. This should include pharmacology but not be  limited to pharmacology.
• Explain how the treatment regime (including pharmacology) may  impact a client’s lifestyle. Consider things such as finances, ease or  complexity of administration, instructions (frequency, duration), et  cetera.
• Describe how a nurse should monitor a client being treated for  the disease or health condition in order to obtain a quality patient  outcome.
• Explain any controversies associated with the drugs used in the  treatment. For example, is there a black box warning with any of the  drugs?

Use the notes section of each slide to expand your points or draft  your mock oral presentation (or both) and reference your resources. Use  at least 3 peer-reviewed or professional resources to support your work  in this assessment. Be sure your PowerPoint includes a title slide, a  slide with your agenda or list of topics to be covered, and a reference  slide. Follow current APA style and formatting guidelines for your  citations and references.

Additional Requirements

• Number of slides: 10–12, not including the title and reference slides.
• Be creative. Consider your intended audience.