Taking the Pathophysiology and Pathopharmacology course greatly contributed to my professional development because I improved my understanding of the basics of pathophysiology and pathopharmacology. Pathophysiology describes painful conditions in human physiology, while pathopharmacology is aimed at the treatment of illnesses. Hence, these two sciences direct the healthcare practitioner’s attention to the specific disease processes and teach them how to apply pharmacological treatment to overcome the pathology. Pathopharmacological knowledge includes applying the dosages of medicines for treatment, learning indications, contraindications, and possible side effects of using pills. This paper aims to reflect on how I evolved as a nurse through my participation in the pathophysiology and pathopharmacology course.
In my practice, I often prescribe pills to patients, and taking the course in pathophysiology and pathopharmacology supports me in a more nuanced understanding of detecting the illness and finding a proper medicine for its treatment. Most nurses today are using EHR devices, which suggest specific medicines depending on the types and durations of symptoms selected by the nurse from the proposed list. Contraindications due to health conditions, such as concomitant diseases and the incompatibility of different pills, are usually automatically regarded by the program, and it offers the medical professional the opportunity to choose drugs that meet the specified requirements.
However, due to inattention, nurses may fail to ask the patients about possible atypical painful conditions that are not directly related to the disease for which the patient turned to the medical institution. In this case, some medicines can inadvertently harm the patient, and in some cases, this harm can be very serious. Studying the course of pathophysiology teaches nursing students to perceive the process of prescribing medical drugs in a less formalized way. During a consultation, we become more adept at identifying unique pathologies and systems such as EHR complement, not replace, our experience, allowing us to verify our findings.
The EHR systems cannot substitute for sound professional medical knowledge. Dionisi et al. (2021), while describing medication errors in home care settings, suggest that they happen mainly during transitional care. The scholars state that “the main risk factors related to transitional care are poor interprofessional communication, lack of a standardized process for medication reconciliation, the widespread use of computerized tools, and the inadequate integration of the pharmacist into the care team” (Dionisi et al., 2021, p. 876). This means that the nurses should have a detailed understanding of pharmacology to work professionally with computerized tools and adequately cooperate with pharmacists and other team members.
Interestingly, pharmacology errors are potentially most dangerous in ICU and emergency medicine. Rider et al. (2022) analyze the most widespread errors in emergency settings, determining the wrong dosages in 43% of cases and computer entry errors in 14% of cases (p. 12). The scholars also report the knowledge gaps in “medication cost (63%), pregnancy risk information (60%), antibiotic stewardship (53%), interactions (47%), and side effects (47%)” and encourage nurses to consult pharmacists for better patient outcomes (Rider et al., 2022, p. 12). Hence, the pathophysiology and pathopharmacology course will be particularly important for my further nursing practice as I will cooperate with pharmacologists as team members more professionally and will not overly rely on EHRs. The lack of understanding and knowledge in pathophysiology usually leads to inadequate patient counseling and errors. Therefore, a better understanding of illnesses and their medicinal treatment will improve my nursing qualities and help me ensure patient safety.
Thus, the reflection was provided on how I evolved as a nurse through participation in the pathophysiology and pathopharmacology course. Learning the basic principles of the course allowed me to improve my knowledge of pathophysiological processes in the human body and how these processes can be mitigated by various medicines. I learned to determine the dosages, contraindications, and incompatibility with individual drugs, which are the main tasks of pathopharmacology. Furthermore, I evolved in regard to the understanding of the connection between pathopharmacology and pathophysiology. Namely, I have a better understanding of the biological markers of various conditions as well as their correlation to how the prescribed medication operates to minimize said symptoms and outcomes.
One of the learning outcomes was determining the connection between physiology and pharmacology applied to manage said conditions. The knowledge that I have acquired helped me address this aim through a comprehension of the importance of determining how diseases manifest themselves and the various medications that address the negative outcomes. Moreover, the course allows for a better understanding of patient-centered approaches when selecting medication that would not interfere with other treatments or conditions.
During the course, I gained insight into how pathophysiology and pathopharmacology are, indeed, connected on multiple levels, as the therapeutic measures applied to combat negative reactions directly depend on the biology of the disease. I will certainly incorporate the knowledge I have acquired into practice. Namely, I have maximized my knowledge of various medications and how they interact with each other. As a result, I will make sure that my patients are not prescribed drugs that have been shown to disrupt or provoke negative reactions when the patient also takes other medications. Thus, the course improved my understanding of a patient-centered approach and the element of safety. Moreover, the in-depth exemplification of the pathophysiology of various conditions will be implemented in regard to understanding the biological factors that affect the patient. As a result, I will be able to practically implement my newly acquired knowledge to comprehend the physiological conditions directly associated with the conditions and how they impact individuals.
References
Dionisi, S., Di Simone, E., Liquori, G., De Leo, A., Di Muzio, M., & Giannetta, N. (2022). Medication errors’ causes analysis in home care setting: A systematic review. Public Health Nursing, 39(4), 876-897.
Rider, A. C., Dang, B. T., Caretta‐Weyer, H. A., Schertzer, K. A., & Gisondi, M. A. (2022). A mixed methods needs assessment to identify pharmacology education objectives for emergency medicine residents. Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open, 3(2), 12-26.