About the Book

This textbook is the second Canadian edition of the open access Nursing Pharmacology. It builds on the work by previous editions which have laid an invaluable foundation for this current edition. This is a free open educational resource with CC-BY 4.0 licensing.

This textbook is designed specifically for the entry-level undergraduate nursing student. It is also applicable to other health disciplines for use. It provides a fundamental understanding of the mechanism of action of different drug classes and their therapeutic uses, with a focus on nursing considerations. Each chapter begins with an overview of the physiology of that body system and then common health issues, which is then followed by the drug classifications. Each chapter has interactive activities at the end of each unit, and then clinical judgement and decision-making questions to help consolidate the learner’s understanding.

This book is not intended to be used as a drug reference guide in the practice setting, as drug information is always changing.  Nurses should always consult current evidence-based resources to review current recommendations before administering specific medication.

About the Author

Andrea (Sullivan) Degenhardt RN BSN MN CCSNE

Andrea (Sullivan) Degenhardt is an Associate Teaching Professor in the School of Nursing at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) situated in Kamloops, BC Canada.  She considers herself a lifelong learner, with a passion for evidence-based practice in the acute care setting. Her nursing career has focused on adult intensive care and emergency care nursing, as well as home health nursing, before transitioning into teaching undergraduate BScN students. Her teaching focus is teaching pharmacology, simulation throughout the BScN program, acute medical-cardiac practice and preceptorship.

Notable Contributors for this Edition

Two research assistants have assisted in the creation of this textbook.  Cheltey Berlinguette and Sheila Odubote, both third year TRU BScN nursing students, have contributed in creating the interactive learning activities in each chapter, creating some of the diagrams and providing an invaluable student perspective.  It was a pleasure working with both of them.

Christina Hamaguchi, Assistant Teaching Professor in the School of Nursing at Thompson Rivers University, has contributed to the Cognition and Mood chapter with clinical reasoning questions. As an expert in mental health nursing, her contributions were invaluable in creating realistic questions to promote nursing practice in the mental health setting.

I would also like to thank Dr. Tracy Christianson with the TRU School of Nursing for her support and guidance in taking on this project.

This textbook would not have happened without the incredible support from TRUs Open Press team.

Content Reviewer

Steven Ross, Associate Teaching Professor in the School of Nursing at Thompson Rivers University. Steve was able to make important contributions and provide a critical lens with his review of the content.

Student Reviewers

This textbook is for students, and the student perspective of the usability and accessibility of this textbook is invaluable. Thank you to the following BScN students who supported the textbook by completing two reviews and providing their perspectives: Shadi Arab, Denise Chicas, Maria Dimatulac, Heather Girodat and Ime Stavinga.