8th Edition

by Amy M. Karch RN MS (Author)

Master the Principles of Effective Drug Therapy

Current, concise, and optimized for today’s nursing practice, Focus on Nursing Pharmacology makes challenging concepts more approachable to establish a foundation for effective drug therapy throughout your nursing career. This updated 8th edition builds on your knowledge of physiology, chemistry and nursing fundamentals to help you conceptualize need-to-know information about each group of drugs, while engaging learning features cultivate your clinical application, critical thinking and patient education capabilities.

• New! Concept Mastery Alerts alert you to commonly misunderstood concepts.
• New! Unfolding case-based vignettes written by the National League for Nursing bring concepts to life through realistic clinical scenarios.
• Concise, streamlined approach emphasizes need-to-know information for efficient learning.
• Nursing Processes clarify the process for planning patient-centered care.
• Critical Thinking Scenarios guide you through the collection and application of data for commonly encountered clinical interactions.
• Nursing Considerations sections detail the rationale behind each nursing intervention to enhance your clinical decision-making capabilities.
• Drug Lists at the beginning of each chapter enable fast identification of prototype drugs for each class.
• Drugs in Focus tables provide at-a-glance reference for generic and trade names, usual dosage and indications for each drug within a class.
• Focus on Safe Medication Administration boxes help you ensure patient safety and increase the therapeutic effectiveness of drugs.
• Focus on the Evidence boxes identify the best nursing practices associated with specific drugs based on available evidence.
• Focus on Herbal and Alternative Therapies alert you to known interactions with specific herbs or alternative therapies that could affect drug actions.
• Focus on Calculations refine your calculation and measurement skills.
• Focus on Drug Therapy Across the Lifespan boxes provide quick access to drug class considerations for use with children, adults and the elderly.
• Focus on Gender Considerations and Focus on Cultural Considerations help you ensure effective, culturally sensitive drug therapy across diverse populations.