Sample Answer for NURS 6521 PHARMACOTHERAPY FOR GASTROINTESTINAL AND HEPATOBILIARY DISORDERS Included After Question
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.
RESOURCES
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
WEEKLY RESOURCES
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 Links to an external site.). All papers submitted must use this formatting.
SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Before submitting your final assignment, you can check your draft for authenticity. To check your draft, access the Turnitin Drafts from the Start Here area.
- To submit your completed assignment, save your Assignment as WK4Assgn_LastName_Firstinitial
- Then, click on Start Assignment near the top of the page.
- Next, click on Upload File and select Submit Assignment for review.
A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NURS 6521 PHARMACOTHERAPY FOR GASTROINTESTINAL AND HEPATOBILIARY DISORDERS
Title: NURS 6521 PHARMACOTHERAPY FOR GASTROINTESTINAL AND HEPATOBILIARY DISORDERS
The patient in the case study presents with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. He has a drug abuse history and likely Hepatitis C. The current drug therapy includes Synthroid, Nifedipine, and Prednisone. The purpose of this assignment is to discuss the diagnosis and appropriate pharmacotherapy for the patient.
Diagnosis
Hepatitis C infection is the presumptive diagnosis. This is a liver inflammation caused by Hepatitis C virus (HCV). It is spread through sexual intercourse with infected persons, sharing personal items, and sharing drug-injection equipment (Ghany et al., 2020). Most infected persons are asymptomatic. Symptomatic cases present symptoms like fatigue, fever, reduced appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, pale feces, dark urine, myalgia, and jaundice (Jin, 2020). Therefore, Hepatitis C is the primary diagnosis because of the positive symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea and the client’s history of drug abuse and Hepatitis C infection.
Appropriate Drug Therapy
The recommended drug therapy will include a combination of Ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir (Technivie) for 12 weeks to treat Hepatitis C infection. Technivie is indicated for HCV infection in patients without cirrhosis. Ombitasvir inhibits HCV NS5A, which is needed for Hepatitis C viral replication. Paritaprevir inhibits NS3/4A serine protease required for proteolytic cleavage of the HCV-encoded polyprotein into mature forms (Wu et al., 2019). Ritonavir is a protease inhibitor that elevates paritaprevir serum levels. Nifedipine would be reduced to 10 mg and Prednisone to 5 mg since they are associated with GI side effects.
Conclusion
The patient’s nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea symptoms are consistent with Hepatitis C infection. Besides, the history of Hepatitis C and drug abuse make HCV infection the likely diagnosis. A combination of Ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir will be recommended to treat the HCV infection,
References
Ghany, M. G., Morgan, T. R., & AASLD‐IDSA hepatitis C guidance panel. (2020). Hepatitis C guidance 2019 update: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases–Infectious Diseases Society of America recommendations for testing, managing, and treating hepatitis C virus infection. Hepatology, 71(2), 686–721. https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.31060
Jin, J. (2020). Screening for Hepatitis C Virus Infection. JAMA, 323(10), 1008-1008. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.1761
Wu, J., Huang, P., Fan, H., Tian, T., Xia, X., Fu, Z., … & Zhang, Y. (2019). Effectiveness of ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir, dasabuvir for HCV in HIV/HCV coinfected subjects: a comprehensive analysis. Virology journal, 16(1), 1–10.
A Sample Answer 2 For the Assignment: NURS 6521 PHARMACOTHERAPY FOR GASTROINTESTINAL AND HEPATOBILIARY DISORDERS
Title: NURS 6521 PHARMACOTHERAPY FOR GASTROINTESTINAL AND HEPATOBILIARY DISORDERS
The case study depicts a 46-year-old female patient with a chief complaint of RUQ pain for the last 24 hours. The RUQ pain began an hour after dinner, and she had nausea and vomiting x1 before the pain started. The abdomen is non-distended but has mild tenderness. Lab results revealed a high WBC count and Direct bilirubin. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the patient’s diagnosis and treatment plan.
Diagnosis
Hepatitis A is the identified diagnosis for this case. It is caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV) transmitted via the fecal-oral route through person-to-person contact and ingesting contaminated food or water. The classical presentation in adults includes anorexia, RUQ pain, jaundice, and hyperbilirubinemia (Abutaleb & Kottilil, 2020). Hepatitis A is the presumptive diagnosis based on pertinent positive symptoms of nausea, vomiting, RUQ pain, abdominal tenderness, and high direct bilirubin levels. Besides, an elevated WBC count indicates an underlying infection.
Drug Therapy Plan
Treatment of Hepatitis A is usually supportive. I would recommend Acetaminophen 500 mg per oral twice daily to relieve pain. Pain relief is important to promote quality patient care in the acute phase of Hepatitis A (Ntouva et al., 2019). In addition, I would recommend Metoclopramide 10 mg PRN. Metoclopramide is an antiemetic and will be important to alleviate nausea and vomiting. In addition, inactivated Hepatitis A vaccine will be administered for active immunization against diseases associated with HAV (Ntouva et al., 2019).
Conclusion
The patient presented with symptoms consistent with Hepatitis A, such as nausea, RUQ pain, mild abdominal tenderness, hyperbilirubinemia, and an elevated WBC count. Hepatitis A could be due to transmission of HAV from contaminated food or water. The treatment plan will include supportive measures such as pain control and alleviating nausea and vomiting using an analgesic and antiemetic.
References
Abutaleb, A., & Kottilil, S. (2020). Hepatitis A: Epidemiology, Natural History, Unusual Clinical Manifestations, and Prevention. Gastroenterology clinics of North America, 49(2), 191–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gtc.2020.01.002
Ntouva, A., Sibal, B., Balogun, K., Mandal, S., & Harding, N. (2019). Hepatitis A in primary care: working in partnership for diagnosis, management, and prevention of outbreaks. The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 69(687), 521–522. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp19X705965
Rubric
| NURS_6521_Week4_Assignment_Rubric | ||||||
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeExplain your diagnosis for the patient, including your rationale for the diagnosis. |
|
25 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeDescribe an appropriate drug therapy plan based on the patient’s history, diagnosis, and drugs currently prescribed. |
|
30 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeJustify why you would recommend this drug therapy plan for this patient. Be specific and provide examples. |
|
30 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWritten Expression and Formatting – Paragraph Development and Organization: Paragraphs make clear points that support well developed ideas, flow logically, and demonstrate continuity of ideas. Sentences are carefully focused–neither long and rambling nor short and lacking substance. |
|
5 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWritten Expression and Formatting – English writing standards: Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation |
|
5 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWritten Expression and Formatting – The paper follows correct APA format for title page, headings, font, spacing, margins, indentations, page numbers, running head, parenthetical/in-text citations, and reference list. |
|
5 pts | ||||