What type of drug therapy would you recommend not knowing if she is currently taking other prescribed drugs? Are there certain drugs you should avoid in order to prevent a drug-drug interaction?

Assignment: Pharmacotherapy for Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Disorders

Gastrointestinal (GI) and hepatobiliary disorders affect the structure and function of the GI tract. Many of these disorders often have similar symptoms, such as abdominal pain, cramping, constipation, nausea, bloating, and fatigue. Since multiple disorders can be tied to the same symptoms, it is important for advanced practice nurses to carefully evaluate patients and prescribe a treatment that targets the cause rather than the symptom.
Once the underlying cause is identified, an appropriate drug therapy plan can be recommended based on medical history and individual patient factors. In this Assignment, you examine a case study of a patient who presents with symptoms of a possible GI/hepatobiliary disorder, and you design an appropriate drug therapy plan.

To Prepare
• Review the CASE STUDY BELOW
• Reflect on the patient’s symptoms, medical history, and drugs currently prescribed.
• Think about a possible diagnosis for the patient. Consider whether the patient has a disorder related to the gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary system or whether the symptoms are the result of a disorder from another system or other factors, such as pregnancy, drugs, or a psychological disorder.
• Consider an appropriate drug therapy plan based on the patient’s history, diagnosis, and drugs currently prescribed.

Write a 1-page paper that addresses the following:
• Explain your diagnosis for the patient, including your rationale for the diagnosis.
• Describe an appropriate drug therapy plan based on the patient’s history, diagnosis, and drugs currently prescribed.
• Justify why you would recommend this drug therapy plan for this patient. Be specific and provide examples.

CASE STUDY

Symptoms of various gastrointestinal (GI) and hepatobiliary disorders often overlap making diagnosis and treatment challenging. Consider the case of a 21-year-old female who is rushed to the hospital by her roommate. The patient is not conscious enough to describe her symptoms or medical history to the health care provider. However, the roommate is able to share that the patient has experienced abdominal pain for the past three days, as well as vomiting, constipation, and bloating. After unsuccessful attempts at contacting the patient’s family, the roommate decided to bring her in for care. At this point, medical history and currently prescribed drugs are unknown. However, this patient requires treatment for symptoms that could be the result of various underlying disorders. As an advanced practice nurse, you could potentially be responsible for this patient’s care. How would you proceed to care for this patient? What type of drug therapy would you recommend not knowing if she is currently taking other prescribed drugs? Are there certain drugs you should avoid in order to prevent a drug-drug interaction?

This week you examine diagnoses for patients with potential GI and hepatobiliary disorders. You also develop a drug therapy plan based on patient history and diagnosis.

This week’s learning objectives are as follows:
• Assess patients with gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary disorders
• Develop drug therapy plans based on patient history and diagnosis
• Understand and apply key terms, concepts, and principles related to prescribing drugs to treat gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary disorders

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