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Assignment: Pharmacotherapy for Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Disorders

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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 assigned by your Instructor for this Assignment
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.
By Day 7 of Week 4

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.
Reminder: The College of Nursing requires that all papers submitted include a title page, introduction, summary, and references. The Sample Paper provided at the Walden Writing Center offers an example of those required elements (available at http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/57.htm). All papers submitted must use this formatting.
For Week 4, we will be looking at the pharmacologic management of gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary disorders, including hepatitis C, cirrhosis, nausea/vomiting, GERD, PUD, constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, & inflammatory bowel disease.

For the assignment this week, you will evaluate and determine a diagnosis for the case study patient who presents with symptoms of a possible GI/hepatobiliary disorder. You will then justify your diagnosis, including your rationale for the diagnosis. Based upon your diagnosis, you will then determine an appropriate treatment plan for the case-patient. For full credit, please ensure that you provide the appropriate dose, route, and frequency of administration of the medication(s) prescribed. Approach this as if you are writing a prescription for your patient – what drug, dose, route and frequency would you prescribe?

When writing your Week 4 Assignment, consider the following scenario:

Patient HL comes into the clinic with the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The patient has a history of drug abuse and possible Hepatitis C. HL is currently taking the following prescription drugs:

Synthroid 100 mcg daily
Nifedipine 30 mg daily
Prednisone 10 mg daily

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