CHAPTERCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

7 Principles of Pharmacology

National EMS Education Standard

Competencies

Pharmacology Applies to patient assessment and management fundamental knowledge of the medications carried by AEMTs that may be administered to a patient during an emergency.

Principles of Pharmacology � Medication safety (pp 220–222) � Kinds of medications used during an emergency (pp 238–244) � Medication legislation (pp 221, 222, 224–225) � Naming (p 220) � Classifi cations (pp 222–224) � Storage and security (p 238) � Autonomic pharmacology (pp 225–226) � Metabolism and excretion (pp 234–235) � Mechanism of action (p 225) � Medication response relationships (p 236) � Medication interactions (pp 236–238) � Toxicity (p 220)

Knowledge Objectives 1. Discuss important drug terminology, including intended effects, unintended

effects, untoward effects, indications, and contraindications. (pp 219–220)

2. Discuss the differences between generic, trade, chemical, and offi cial medication names, and provide an example of each. (p 220)

3. Discuss the US laws and regulations that relate to medication manufacturing and distribution. (pp 220–222)

4. List the fi ve schedules of drugs with the highest abuse potential per the Controlled Substances Act. (pp 221–222)

5. Discuss the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process, including FDA drug classifi cations. (pp 222–223)

6. Describe the medication administration considerations that must be applied to special populations, including pediatric, geriatric, and pregnant patients. (pp 223–224)

7. Discuss legal, moral, and ethical considerations related to drug administration. (p 224)

8. Describe the roles and functions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. (p 225)

9. Discuss the concept of receptor sites, including adrenergic receptors, and how medications may take advantage of these. (p 225)

10. Discuss the concepts of agonists and antagonists as they relate to medications. (pp 225–226)

11. List the types of drugs that affect the sympathetic nervous system, including sympathomimetics and sympatholytics, and describe how they create their effects. (pp 225–226)

12. List the types of drugs that affect the parasympathetic nervous system, including parasympathomimetics and parasympatholytics, and describe how they create their effects. (p 226)

13. Discuss the effects of opioid agonists, opioid antagonists, and opioid agonist-antagonists. (pp 226–227)

14. Discuss types of sedative-hypnotics, including benzodiazepines, barbitu-rates, and nonbarbiturate hypnotics. (p 227)

15. Discuss CNS stimulants and depressants. (pp 227–228)

16. Discuss drugs that affect the cardiac system, including cardiac glycosides, antiarrhythmics, and antihypertensive medications, and describe how they exert their effects. (pp 228–229)

17. Describe drugs that affect the respiratory system, including oxygen, over-the-counter medications, bronchodilators, and xanthines. (p 229)

18. Explain the solid, liquid, and gas forms of medication, provide examples of each, and discuss how the form of a medication dictates its route of administration. (pp 230–231)

19. Describe the enteral and parenteral routes of medication administration and explain how they differ. (pp 232–233)

20. Describe the following routes of medication administration and discuss their individual rates of absorption: oral, intravenous, intraosseous, subcu-taneous, intramuscular, sublingual, intranasal, and inhalation. (pp 232–233)

21. Defi ne the term pharmacokinetics and describe the stages a medication goes through while being processed in the body. (pp 234–235)

22. Explain the term mechanism of action. (pp 235–236)

23. Defi ne the term pharmacodynamics, and describe the types of predictable and unpredictable responses a drug may create. (pp 235–238)

24. Discuss the concepts of serum sickness, idiosyncratic reaction, cumulative effect, summation, potentiation, drug dependence, and drug interaction. (pp 237–238)

25. Describe the proper storage for drugs and security concerns. (p 238)

26. Give the generic and trade names, actions, indications, contraindications, routes of administration, side effects, interactions, and doses of 10 medications and 3 intravenous fl uids that may be administered by an AEMT in an emergency as dictated by state protocols and local medical direction. (pp 238–244)

Skills Objectives There are no skills objectives for this chapter.

79306_CH07_Printer.indd 21879306_CH07_Printer.indd 218 12/20/10 12:32 PM12/20/10 12:32 PM

Copyright © 2012 by Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons