Pharmacology Notes for Physical Therapists

Absolute Risk Reduction (ARR)

CER - EER

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

1 / ARR

Medication Errors

Any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer (NCCMERP definition).

Adverse Drug Reaction

A noxious and unintended response to a drug at doses normally used for prophylaxis, diagnosis, or therapy.

Augmented Adverse Drug Reaction

somewhat Expected (e.g., steroid-induced hyperglycemia).

Bizarre Adverse Drug Reaction

Unpredictable (e.g., steroid-induced psychosis).

Chronic Adverse Drug Reaction

Due to prolonged exposure (e.g., steroid-induced Cushing’s).

Delayed Adverse Drug Reaction

Remote from treatment (e.g., steroid-induced osteoporosis).

End of treatment Adverse Drug Reaction

Due to sudden discontinuation (e.g., steroid-induced adrenal suppression).

Drug Interactions

Pharmacological result (desirable or undesirable) of drugs interacting with other drugs, chemical agents, or components of the diet.

Additive Interaction

1 + 1 = 2 (e.g., Alcohol + Lorazepam)

Two substances with similar effect

Synergistic Interaction

1 + 1 = 5 (e.g., Cocaine and propanolol)

Significant enhancement of activity

Antagonistic Interaction

1 + 1 = 0

one increases metabolism of another

one blocks effect of another

Drug

Typically a known chemical structure.

Biological agents

Proteins, sugars, not easily identified.

Pharmacotherapeutics

Use of drugs to treat, prevent, diagnose disease.

Pharmacokinetics (ADME)

Drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination.

Pharmacodynamics

Systemic and cellular effect of the drug (mechanisms).

toxicology

poisons and their effects

Relative risk reduction

CER-EER/CER

pharmacotherapeutics

use of drugs to treat, prevent, diagnose disease

pharmacokinetics

ADME

-drug ABSORPTION, DISTRIBUTION, METABOLISM, ELIMINATION

3 drug nomenclatures/names

chemical name: speciric compound structure

generic name: official or nonproprietary name

trade name: brand or proprietary name