Shadow Health Advanced Pharmacology Assessment

QUESTION

Professional Development: Write a 500-word APA Shadow Health Advanced Pharmacology Assessment reflection essay on your experience with the ShadowHealth© virtual assignment(s). At least two scholarly sources in addition to your textbook should be utilized. Answers to the following questions should be included in your reflective essay:

1. Regarding the use of shadow health, please answer the following questions:

a. What went well in your assessment?
b. What did not go so well? What will you change for your next assessment?
c. How will this program help you understand pharmacology better?

2.

• Explain the difference between a medication allergy and a medication sensitivity.
• Then, choose one medication allergy commonly seen in practice. What cross-sensitivities could patients with this medication allergy experience?
• What potential complications and reactions could this patient have, and what treatment is available?

3.

• Choose at least one herbal supplement/medication you have seen patients taking in your practice.
• Discuss the rationale for taking this medication, its possible benefits, consequences, and drug interactions.
• Discuss how the medication is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted by the body.

 

ANSWER

Shadow Health Advanced Pharmacology Assessment

Medication Allergy and Medication Sensitivity in Advanced Pharmacology

Introduction

The shadow health assessment strengthened my objective and subjective analysis skills. The objective data went well, and accuracy was attained. I must include that I have witnessed reasonably good improvement in my subjective nursing skills. Identifying the right set of questions to ask during the diagnosis stage is an essential skill for nurses, which I have learned and mastered. The more focused and understandable the questions are, the easier it is to get the information needed to diagnose a patient and cultivate the best treatment or disease management approach.

Challenges faced were in developing questions that are personal to the patient. Personal questions tend to make patients uncomfortable. Recommending the treatment plan is also challenging for the Shadow Health Assessment program.

Difference between a medication allergy and a medication sensitivity.

A medication allergy is when a patient’s immune system negatively reacts to an induced substance, a medical drug. In contrast, medication sensitivity refers to a condition with an adverse medication reaction. In medication allergy, the body usually reacts negatively or adversely to potentially harmless medicine or has been invested before without any notable severe reaction (World Health Organization, 2019). In medication sensitivity, however, the potential leading cause for this condition is an excessive substance (World Health Organization, 2019).

The drug Penicillin has a high reported number of allergies. According to Warrington et al. (2018), penicillin allergy affects approximately 10% of all patients exposed to the drug. Individuals with this type of allergy should be prescribed medicine free of Penicillin. Cross-sensitivities in patients are less likely to be experienced when Cephalosporin than Penicillin. Anaphylaxis, a possibly life-threatening medical illness, is more common in patients with a penicillin allergy (Warrington et al., 2018). Less likely, if a Cephalosporin is used, the disease affects the body’s physiological systems.

The potential complication with this type of allergy is that the allergic reaction symptoms may take weeks to be noticed, with the allergy lasting long after the patient ceases to use the medication Warrington et al. (2018). The red blood cell count is lower in patients with an allergy, causing fatigue and shortness of breath. Skin rash may be experienced due to higher white blood cells and an increase in the size of lymph nodes. High fever and edema are experienced due to nephritis; mental fogginess is also experienced.

Treatment for penicillin allergy involves first discontinuing the patient from the use of Penicillin, encouraging the application of antihistamines to suppress the effect and reaction of chemicals in the immune system, and using corticosteroids to address allergies that are more severe than usual Warrington et al. (2018). To treat the anaphylaxis usually experienced, inject epinephrine as soon as possible.

Discuss at least one herbal supplement/medication.

Echinacea

The herb has been identified and marketed as a diet supplement that helps ease colds and other minor infections. It works to stimulate the immune system, hence fighting the infection at a faster rate than usual. It has also been seen to reduce the future probability of contracting flu, human papillomavirus, HIV/aids, herpes, malaria, and throat and nose infections. The drug interactions possible with Echinacea have reduced the assimilation of caffeine in the body and lowered the breakdown of etoposide.

 

References

Warrington, R., Silviu-Dan, F., & Wong, T. (2018). Drug allergy. Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology, 14(2), 1-11. DOI: 10.1186/s13223-018-0289-y

World Health Organization. (2019). Medication safety in high-risk situations (No. WHO/UHC/SDS/2019.10). World Health Organization.