Introduction: orientation to pharmacology; application of pharmacology in nursing practice; pharmacology and the nursing process; drug legislation, development, names, and information. Part 1 Basic principles of pharmacology: pharmacokinetics; pharmacodynamics; drug-drug and drug-food interactions; adverse drug reactions; individual variation in drug responses. Part 2 Drug therapy across the life span: drug therapy pregnancy and breast feeding; drug therapy in paediatric patients; drug therapy in geriatric patients. Part 3 Peripheral nervous system drugs: introduction - basic principles of neuropharmacology, physiology of the peripheral nervous system; cholinergic drugs - muscarinic agonists and antagonists, cholinesterase inhibitors, neuromuscular blocking agents and ganglionic blocking agents; adrenergic drugs - adrenergic agonists, adrenergic antagonists, indirect-acting antiadrenergic agents. Part 4 Central nervous system drugs: introduction - introduction to central nervous system pharmacology; neurologic drugs - drugs for Parkinson's disease, drugs for epilepsy, drug therapy of muscle spasm and spasticity; analgesics and anaesthetic - opioid (narcotic) analgesics, local anaesthetics, general anaesthetics, drugs for headache; psychotherapeutic drugs - antipsychotic agents, antidepressants, drugs for bipolar disorder, benzodiazepines and other drugs for anxiety and insomnia, central nervous system stimulants and their use in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, other psychologic disorders,; drug abuse - considerations, alcohol, opioids, depressants, stimulants, marijuana, psychedelics, inhalants, and nicotine. Part 5 Drugs that affect fluid and electrolyte balance: diuretics; agents affecting the volume and ion content of body fluids. Part 6 Cardiovascular drugs: review of haemodynamics; drugs acting on the renin-angiotensin system; calcium channel blockers; vasodilators; drugs for hypertension; drugs for angina pectoris; drugs for heart failure; management of myocardial infarction; antidysrthymic drugs; prophylaxis of coronary artery disease - drugs used to lower cholesterol levels. Part 7 Drugs that affect the blood: drugs that affect coagulation - anticoagulants, antiplatelet drugs, and thrombolytics; drugs for deficiency anaemias; haematopoietic growth factors. Part 8 Endocrine drugs: drugs for diabetes mellitus; drugs for thyroid diseases; drugs related to hypothalamic and pituitary functions; drugs for disorders of the adrenal cortex; oestrogens and progestins; birth control; drugs for infertility; uterine stimulants and relaxants; androgens. (Part contents).
