Basic pharmacokinetics

Pharmacokinetics is a fundamental scientific discipline that underpins applied therapeutics. Patients need to be prescribed appropriate medicines for a clinical condition. The medicine is chosen on the basis of an evidencebased approach to clinical practice and assured to be compatible with any other medicines or alternative therapies the patient may be taking. The design of a dosage regimen is dependent on a basic understanding of the drug use process (DUP). When faced with a patient who shows specific clinical signs and symptoms, pharmacists must always ask a fundamental question: ‘Is this patient suffering from a drug-related problem?’ Once this issue is evaluated and a clinical diagnosis is available, the pharmacist can apply the DUP to ensure that the patient is prescribed an appropriate medication regimen, that the patient understands the therapy prescribed, and that an agreed concordance plan is achieved. Pharmacists using the DUP consider: