Advanced Pharmacology

As an advanced practice nurse, it is your responsibility to recommend appropriate treatment options for patients with cardiovascular disorders. To ensure the safety and effectiveness of drug therapy, advanced practice nurses must consider aspects that might influence pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes such as medical history, other drugs currently prescribed, and individual patient factors.

Write a 2- to 3-page paper that addresses the following:

Explain how the factor you selected might influence the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes in the patient from the case study you were assigned.
Describe how changes in the processes might impact the patient’s recommended drug therapy. Be specific and provide examples.
Explain how you might improve the patient’s drug therapy plan and explain why you would make these recommended improvements.
The scenario for your assignment this week is listed below. For the assignment, select one the following factors: genetics, gender, ethnicity, age, or behavior factors. Explain how this factor affects pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and make recommendations for changes to pharmacotherapy that are required to optimize this patient’s therapeutic plan.

Patient AO is a 50 year-old African-American male that has a history of obesity and has recently gained 9 pounds. The patient has been diagnosed with hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Drugs currently prescribed include the following:

Atenolol 12.5 mg daily

Hydralazine 10 mg qid

Sertraline 25 mg daily

Simvastatin 80 mg daily