Understanding Pharmacology: Fundamentals & Clinical Applications

Fundamental or basic pharmacology is the study of the effect that naturally occurring or synthetic chemicals have on living organisms. Clinical pharmacology takes the principles of fundamental pharmacology and applies them to the treatment of patients in the medical setting.

Categories

• Fundamental pharmacology includes two categories of drugs: over the counter (OTC) and drugs requiring a physician's prescription. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates all drugs, whether OTC or by prescription.

Mechanism

• Drugs are most quickly absorbed when administered intravenously (directly into the bloodstream), subcutaneously (injected just beneath the skin) or through interosseous infusion (injection directly into bone). Drugs are also administered through non-invasive means: orally by pill or liquid, sublingually (under the tongue) or inhaled through the nose.

Clinical Application

• Clinical pharmacology includes several areas of specialty. Pharmacodynamics describe the effects that a drug has on the body at a cellular level. Pharmacotherapy is the use of drugs to treat disease processes. Pharmacokinetics describe the effect that the body has on a drug.