92609 Pharmacological Therapies in Advanced Practice

Subject level: Postgraduate

Handbook description

This subject aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills required to prescribe and administer medications safely to patients within the student's specialist practice area. The subject allows students to focus on clinical pharmacological therapies relevant to the student's area of practice and the assessment of patients' responses to these therapies. Students study the actions of drugs including pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics as well as develop an understanding of their application to patients within their chosen speciality. The subject also explores the regulatory framework associated with prescribing and administering medications.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

1. demonstrate knowledge of the regulatory frameworks associated with storage, prescribing and administration of medications including National Medicines Policy, Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) Framework and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (ANMC competency 1.3)
2. outline key historical events in the development of pharmaceutical therapies (political and social context) (ANMC competency 1.3)
3. identify the ethical and legal responsibilities of the practitioner prescribing and administering pharmaceutical therapies (ANMC competency 2.3)
4. utilise a framework/principles for good prescribing (for example stepwise approach to prescribing considering the risk/benefit of medicines prescribed) (ANMC competency 1.2)
5. create a template for the development of a personal formulary to guide practice in relation to client medication management (ANMC competency 1.2)
6. identify the implications, contraindications, and interactions of prescription medications with each other and alternative / traditional / complementary medicine and over the counter medications/appliances (ANMC competency 2.3)
7. identify the long-term effects on the client/consumers and the impact on society of medication therapies (ANMC competency 3.1)
8. access resources to guide future practice with pharmaceutical therapies (ANMC competency 1.3)

Content

• How medications act: general principles and molecular aspects
• Classification systems for pharmaceutical agents
• Pharmacokinetics: absorption, distribution and elimination of medications
• Medication discovery, development and promotion
• Polypharmacy
• Medication interactions and harmful effects including the long-term impact of pharmaceutical therapies (consumer and on society)
• Regulatory framework associated with storage, prescribing and administering medications including National Medicines policy, quality use of medicines and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
• Principles of good prescribing: a stepwise approach to prescribing considering the risk/benefit of medicines prescribed (based on World Health Organization and NPS guidelines for good prescribing)
• Developing personal formulary and prescribing in context
• Resources for practice