Pharmacology
Code: 106100 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | FB | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- Belén Pérez Fernández
- Email:
- belen.perez@uab.cat
Teachers
- Gisela Gili Serrat
- Monique Nakayama Torres
- Africa Dominguez Oliver
- Francesc Jimenez Altayo
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for taking the course of Clinical Pharmacology. However, it is recommended that students should previously have studied “Structure of the Human Body” and “Human Body’s function”.
Objectives and Contextualisation
Pharmacology is a 6 ECTS credits’ subject and is considered compulsory in the syllabus of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona to obtain the Nursing degree.
The therapeutic approach with drugs is one of the pillars in which the control of diseases are based on our present society. Nursing professionals play a very active role in carrying out activities related with the pharmacological therapy. Evaluation of effectiveness, prevention, detection and action in front of unwanted effects, the administration of drugs and, last but not least, health education are functions that must be developed in a systematic and integrated way in their daily work.
The competent development of the functions implies that nursing professionals should be updated periodically in pharmacological procedures and knowledge. Access to reliable sources of information, independent and updated is essential to update the knowledge.
Training objectives:
- To know the different groups of medicaments, the principles of their authorization, the mechanisms of action, the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics characteristics and their main indications.
- To know the expected benefits and the associated risks of the administration or consumption of the different groups of drugs.
- To acquire skills for the development of activities related to pharmacological therapeutics.
- To acquire skills in the search and synthesis of pharmacological information for the resolution of clinical cases.
Competences
- Offer technical and professional health care and that this adequate for the health needs of the person being attended, in accordance with the current state of scientific knowledge at any time and levels of quality and safety established under the applicable legal and deontological rules.
- Protect the health and welfare of people or groups attended guaranteeing their safety.
- Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
- Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
- Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyse differences by sex and gender inequality in ethiology, anatomy, physiology. Pathologies, differential diagnosis, therapeutic options, pharmacological response, prognosis and nursing care.
- Describe the main pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of applied treatments.
- Describe the safety rules to be followed in cases of problems arising from clinical situations related to pharmacological administration in accordance with the current regulations.
- Describe the use and indications of health products used in nursing care.
- Identify elements that could place at risk the health of people in relation to the use and management of medicaments.
- Identify the different groups of drugs and health products, the principles of their authorisation, use and symptoms, and the mechanisms of their use.
- Identify the principles of the use of medication, evaluating the hoped-for benefits and the associated and/or side effects of their administration and consumption.
- Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
- Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
Content
Theory
The pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles of each of the pharmacological groups used for the treatment of the most prevalent pathologies are described, along with the mechanisms of action of the materials and the key points of their use and safe administration.
Topic 1. Introduction to clinical pharmacology: general concepts about medications and health products and bibliography of interest.
Topic 2. Pharmacokinetics: processes of absorption, distribution, biotransformation and elimination of medications from the organism.
Topic 3. Pharmacodynamics: target receptors, agonist and antagonist drugs, drug action mechanisms.
Topic 4. Pharmacology of the central nervous system.
Topic 5. Pharmacology of the autonomic nervous system.
Topic 6. Tractament de malalties respiratòries.
Topic 7. Pain treatment.
Topic 8. Pharmacovigilance: general concepts and regulations for the notification of adverse reactions.
Topic 9. Cardiovascular drugs: heart attack, angina, hypertension and heart failure.
Topic 10. Hypoglycemic drugs and corticosteroids.
Topic 11. Treatment of digestive malalties.
Topic 12. Cytostatic drugs: general concepts and regulations for the treatment of cytotoxic residues.
Topic 13. Pharmacological therapy of infectious processes.
Classroom Practices
The theoretical continguts are applied in the discussion of topics based on the analysis of situations and the bibliographical fence. It is presented the work carried out by the groups and/or synthesis of the activities.
Practice 1. Pharmacological history
Practice 2. Safety in medication administration and dosage calculation
Practice 3. The nursing paper with clinical advice and medications
Practice 4. Self-learning. Resolution of clinical cases (pharmacology of sexual hormones, NSAIDs and Benzodiazepines)
Practice 5. Medication errors and pharmacological considerations en pediatrics
Practice 6: Pharmacovigilance and Arrest cart
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| CLASSROOM PRACTICES (PAUL) | 11 | 0.44 | |
| THEORY (TE) | 39 | 1.56 | |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| TUTORIALS | 6 | 0.24 | |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| ACTIVITIES WITHOUT A TEACHER | 10 | 0.4 | |
| SELF-STUDY | 80 | 3.2 |
1.-Theory lessons in which the contents of the subject will be developed. The goal of the theoretical classes is to explain the fundamental basic concepts.
2.- Classroom practices in which students will have an active participation dealing with predetermined situations and practical cases, through the exchange of partial information, the collective analysis of these information and the subsequent debate, and the exhibition of works in common. The objective of these seminars is to know the most useful sources of information in pharmacology and to relate the theoretical concepts, nursing activity and decision making to give a synthetic response to the situation raised
3.-Moodle: This tool will be used for the repository of documentation and delivery of evaluable activities. The objective is to facilitate the follow-up of the subject, the learning of contents and skills and the continuous evaluation.
4.-Individual tutorials for students who may need them, according to the teacher's criteria or the student's demand.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evaluation of classroom pratices through case studies and problem solving | 25% | 2 | 0.08 | 3, 7, 5, 9, 8 |
| Written evaluation through objective tests (1st part): multiple choice | 37,5% | 1 | 0.04 | 1, 2, 7, 6 |
| Written evaluation through objective tests (2nd part): multiple choice | 37,5% | 1 | 0.04 | 1, 3, 4, 7, 6 |
Competencies will be assessed through a final, formative and continuous assessment. The grading system will be alpha-numeric.
Theory
Written assessment through objective tests. The written objective tests will cover theoretical material and will be organized into 2 parts with multiple-choice questions. They will have a specific weight of 75% on the final grade of the subject.
Classroom practices:
Assessment of solving problems of calculating drug doses. They will have a specific weight of 10% on the final grade of the subject.
Assessment of group work on discussion and case solutions. Oral defense of group work and/or synthesis of the topics worked on in the classroom. They will have a specific weight of 15% on the final grade of the subject.
Attendance at classroom practices: it will be necessary to attend at least 70% to pass the subject. Non-attendance must be justified
In outline, it will be evaluated as follows:
- Theory
Two partial tests: numerical grade between 0-10, each of the tests will represent 37.5% of the final grade. The first test will be held during the month of November and the second once the subject has been completed.
Final remedial test: writtentest type test in the event of not having cleared the subject in the two partial tests. Numerical grade between 0-10 (75% of the final grade).
- Classroom practices
Solution of dose calculation problems: numerical grade between 0-10 (10% of the final grade).
Group work: numerical grade between 0-10 (15% of the final grade).
In the classroom practices of this subject, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is allowed exclusively in support tasks, such as bibliographic or information searches for the correct development of the assigned tasks. The student must clearly identify which parts have been generated with this technology, specify the tools used and include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. The lack of transparency of the use of AI in this assessable activity will be considered a lack of academic honesty and may lead to a partial or total penalty in the grade of the activity, or greater sanctions in serious cases
To pass the subject:
You must have a score of 5 or more in each of the 2 partials and a score of 5 or more in the dose calculation test and 5 or more in the group work of the classroom practices.
To participate in the recovery, the student must have previously been evaluated in a set of activities whose weight is equivalent to a minimum of 62% of the total grade of the subject.
Definition of NOT EVALUABLE: it will be understood as not assessable when:
- the student does not take the written objective tests of multiple-choice questions
- the student misses more than 30% of the classroom practices without justification.
Exam review: Written tests may be reviewed during the period determined for this purpose, once the final grade has been published. Requests for review on dates outside the established limit will not be accepted.
Treatment of any particular cases: an evaluation committee will meet to treat these cases.
Bibliography
Nurse specific
Roger McFadden and Patricia Fell. Introducing Pharmacology for nursing ant health professionals. Fourt Edition. Routledge.2025
Castells S, Hernández M. Farmacología en enfermería. 4ª ed. Barcelona: Elsevier; 2024.
Mosquera JM, Galdós P. Farmacología clínica para enfermería. 4ª ed. Madrid: McGraw-Hill Interamericana; 2005.
Dose calculation
Boyer, Mari Jo. Matemáticas para enfermeras. Guía de bolsillo para el cálculo de dosis y la preparación de medicamentos. 10ª Edición. Ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 2020.
Harvey M. Cálculo y administración de medicamentos.5a ed. Barcelona: Wolters Kluwer; 2018.
General
James M. Ritter,Rod Flower, Graeme Henderson,Yoon Kong Loke, David MacEwan, Humphrey P.Rang. Rang & Dale´s Pharmacology. Ninth edition. Elsevier Health Sciences; 2020
Flórez J, Armijo JA, Mediavilla A. Farmacología Humana. 6ª edición. Barcelona: Elsevier Masson SA; 2014. Lüllmann, Mohr, Hein. Farmacología: texto y atlas. 6ªedición. Barcelona: Masson; 2010.
Raffa, Robert B. Netter. Farmacología ilustrada. Barcelona : Elsevier, cop. 2008
Golan DE, Tashjian AH, Armstrong EJ, Armstrong AW. Principios de farmacología. 5ª edició. Barcelona: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2017
Diccionari Enciclopèdic de Medicina: https://cit.iec.cat/DEM/default.asp?opcio=1
WEBgrafia
Agència Espanyola del Medicament i Productes Sanitaris (AEMPS):
Canal Salut de la Generalitat de Catalunya
http://medicaments.gencat.cat/ca/inici/
Harmonization guidelines
https://catsalut.gencat.cat/ca/proveidors-professionals/farmacia-medicaments/programa-harmonitzacio-farmacoterapeutica/pautes-harmonitzacio-farmacoterapeutica/
Newsletters
The Registered Nurses'Association of Ontario (RNAO)
http://rnao.ca/bpg/language?tid=261
Software
NA
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 101 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 102 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 103 | Catalan | first semester | afternoon |
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 104 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 105 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 101 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 102 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 103 | Catalan | first semester | afternoon |