Course Description
Pharmacotherapy, the treatment of disease through the administration of medications, is a field particularly interesting to many health care workers. This course is designed to introduce you to some of the main drug classes available for the treatment of particular diseases. Along with learning about basic pharmacology, you will learn to recognize brand and generic drug names and explore their common uses and therapeutic classes. A basic understanding of treatment options available for common disease states will also be developed during this course. Additionally, the course develops basic proficiency in the use of drug information resources.
Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Describe the drug regulation process
- Explain the roles of the pharmacist and various members of the medical team in medication use
- Describe and use appropriate drug information resources
- Exercise appropriate referral, when needed
In addition, for each disease/condition discussed, students will be able to:
- Describe the incidence/prevalence
- Recognize the most common causes
- List common symptoms
- Name the risk factors and/or major complications
- Describe the classification system
- Summarize the medications available for treatment including:
- Brand and generic names of medications included in each class
- Basic mechanism of action (how each class works)
- Main side effects and contraindications
- Describe non-drug measures useful in treatment
Topics
- Infectious Disease
- Respiratory
- Gastrointestinal
- Cardiovascular
- Endocrine
- Sexual Health
- Bone Health
- Pain
- Neurology
- Psychiatry