Pharmacology for Nursing Care - Tapa dura

Conversational and straightforward, this text provides a foundation in the science of pharmacology and demonstrates its relationship specifically to nursing care. Nursing implications are integrated into discussions of drug characteristics and effects and summarized after each chapter. Also highlights patient eduction information for quick reference. Use of drug prototypes and caricatures eliminates need for extensive memorization. Avoids becoming rapidly out of date by eliminating unnecessary overlap with drug handbook information.

The authors interweave physiology, pharmacology and nursing care in a way that makes the relationship unusually specific and clear. Rationales for nursing interventions are made clear and various approaches are used to keep the student focused on the essentials - to increase understanding and lessen dependence on note memorization. In each drug family a prototype is studied in depth (eg tubocurarine for neuromuscular blockers). In addition to the prototype, other drugs in the family are covered with an emphasis on how they differ from the prototype. Two sizes of type help separate the "nice-to-know" from the "need-to-know", and numerous tables summarize drugs and their uses.