This Introduction to Pharmacology post features a collection of videos that provide a more visual approach for student nurses, for study purposes…
Pharmacology is the study of drugs and their actions on the body.
Below you can find a collection of videos that can help provide a more visual approach to an introduction to pharmacology for nursing students.
Pharmacodynamics
Pharmacodynamics refers to the mechanisms of drug action…the study of how a drug affects our bodies.
The majority of drugs elicit a response depending on how they interact with a particular protein, which happens through a receptor protein embedded in the cell membrane, or inside the cell within the cytoplasm or in the nucleus.
Sometimes a drug acts as a ligand for a receptor.
A drug may be:
- Agonist: mimics the native ligand and elicits the typical physiological response (a.k.a. facilitator) – Agonist promotes normal function of the protein.
- Antagonist: binds to the active site but DOES NOT activate the receptor (a.k.a. blocker / inhibitor) – Antagonist silences the protein and prevents function.
Drug Potency: the strength of a drug at a particular dosage or the amount of a drug required to produce a particular effect. Potency can also be described as the affinity of a drug for a receptor (high affinity = small amount of drug needed).
Drug Efficacy: maximum effect that can be achieved by a drug. Efficacy can also be described as the effect the drug has on the receptor and how well it acts as an agonist or an antagonist.
Pharmacokinetics
- Absorption: how the drug moves from site of administration into the bloodstream
- Distribution: journey through the bloodstream to reach target cells and molecules
- Metabolism: modification by enzymes to render the drug ineffective
- Excretion: the removal of the drug from the body via urine/faeces
Pharmacodynamics: Mechanisms of Drug Action
Pharmacokinetics: How drugs move through the body
Special thanks to the creator of the featured videos on this post, specifically Youtube Channel Professor Dave Explains.
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