Course overview
This course will develop students' knowledge of pathophysiological and pharmacological concepts that may be applied to the understanding of disease states and their management in clinical practice. Tissue injury and disease; cellular adaptations to injury in acute and chronic conditions; mechanisms of inflammation, tissue healing and pain; basic principles of pharmacology; pharmacokinetics; pharmacodynamics; pharmacological approaches to pain and inflammation; adverse effects; drug interactions; drug misuse; abuse and poisoning; the peripheral nervous system pharmacology; issues in quality use of medicines including individual and life stage factors influencing drug responses, client compliance, drug development, clinical principles of neoplasia and treatment; and public health; age related pathophysiology patterns. Contemporary health issues (public health, notifiable diseases, obesity and diabetes and stress)
Course learning outcomes
- Explain how cells adapt to injury and why tissues initiate inflammatory and pain responses in acute and chronic disorders.
- Explain the prinicples of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics to understand the effects of drug responses across the lifespan.
- Apply the principles of quality use of medicines including factors that influence the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy.
- Explain the processes and principles of surveillance, detection and diagnosis of disorders.
- Explain the mechanisms of neoplasia development, and the influence of risk factors including genetic and environmental aspects.
- Summarise the mechanisms of drug interactions on inflammation, pain and the peripheral nervous system.