Basic Respiratory Care Pharmacology, 3rd Edition

Course overview

Healthcare professionals have an important responsibility in caring for patients receiving respiratory medications. These medications cannot be administered intelligently or safely without a firm knowledge base and understanding of their indications, mechanisms of action, physiological effects, and adverse reactions. Evaluating the patient's response to medications, recommending changes based on that evaluation, and educating the patient are also essential. This advanced-level course is designed for respiratory therapists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who care for individuals receiving medication for respiratory conditions. The purpose of this course is to discuss the essential concepts of pharmacology as related to respiratory care, including anatomy and physiology of body systems. After many years in practice, healthcare professionals tend to know when and why medications need to be used, but they forget how these medications achieve their therapeutic effects. In addition, keeping abreast of newly released medications can be a daunting task. The purpose of this course is twofold: 1) to refresh the knowledge required for the safe and effective administration of therapeutic drugs, including the indications and contraindications associated with drug therapy, and 2) to learn about newly released medications. The information in this course was current at the time of publication. Since respiratory pharmacology is rapidly changing and new pharmaceutical agents are constantly being developed and approved, the healthcare professional should stay abreast of new medications and ongoing research findings and their implications in the delivery of patient care.