N6630
Another busy one on tap with a short answer assessment and decision tree.  The therapeutic focus will be on sleep/wake disorders.
  
Short Answer Assessment:
Address the following Short Answer prompts for your Assignment. Be sure to include references to the Learning Resources for this week.  I would also encourage you to use External Resources.

In 3 or 4 sentences, explain the appropriate drug therapy for      a patient who presents with MDD and a history of alcohol abuse. Which      drugs are contraindicated, if any, and why? Be specific. What is the timeframe      that the patient should see resolution of symptoms?
List 4 predictors of late onset generalized anxiety disorder.
List 4 potential neurobiology causes of psychotic major      depression.
An episode of major depression is defined as a period of time      lasting at least 2 weeks. List at least 5 symptoms required for the      episode to occur. Be specific.
List 3 classes of drugs, with a corresponding example for      each class, that precipitate insomnia. Be specific.

Decision Tree:   Insomnia case
I want you to answer the questions given to you (decision points one, two, and three) before you click on the option. The answers will be based on your decisions made and patient outcomes during the decision tree. I am looking for an essay that is long enough to cover the topic BUT short enough to keep my interest.  The course page suggests writing 1 page per decision my opinion is that it will be very difficult to justify your treatment decisions and provide scientific evidence in 1 page (especially for decision #1). I do not need you to tell me about the patient or the treatment options available to you I am very familiar with the cases.  Your introductory page should be an overview of the disease state you are treating along with a purpose statement for the assignment.  Remember this is a Pharmacology class that incorporates Pharmacotherapy and not a class on diagnosing disease. I want you to tell me why you selected an option (why is it the best option- using clinically relevant and patient specific data) AND why you did not choose the other options (with clinically relevant and patient specific data).
Introduction to the case (1 page)

Briefly explain and summarize the disease state you are      treating this Assignment. Be sure to include the specific patient factors      that may impact your decision making when prescribing medication for this      patient.

Decision #1

Which decision did you select?

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Why did you select this decision? Be specific and support        your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources,        including the primary literature. Again, provide STRONG scientific evidence.  Clinical        studies or treatment guidelines are a good place to start!
Why did you not select the other two options provided in the      exercise? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant      and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
What were you hoping to achieve by making this decision?      Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning      Resources (including the primary literature).
Explain how ethical considerations may impact your treatment      plan and communication with patients. Be specific and provide examples.

Decision #2 (1 page)
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Why did you select this decision? Be specific and support        your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources,        including the primary literature. Again, provide STRONG scientific evidence.  Clinical        studies or treatment guidelines are a good place to start!
Why did you not select the other two options provided in the      exercise? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant      and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
What were you hoping to achieve by making this decision?      Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning      Resources (including the primary literature).
Explain how ethical considerations may impact your treatment      plan and communication with patients. Be specific and provide examples.

Decision #3 (1 page)

Why did you select this decision? Be specific and support      your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources,      including the primary literature.

·  

Why did you not select the other two options provided in the        exercise? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant        and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature. Again, provide STRONG scientific evidence.  Clinical        studies or treatment guidelines are a good place to start!
What were you hoping to achieve by making this decision?      Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning      Resources (including the primary literature).
Explain how ethical considerations may impact your treatment      plan and communication with patients. Be specific and provide examples.

Conclusion (1 page)

Summarize your recommendations on the treatment options you      selected for this patient. Be sure to justify your recommendations and      support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific      resources, including the primary literature.

After writing up your rationale at each decision point, I would ask yourself the following questions:
· Have I provided clinical data from a meta-analysis, case report or clinical trial to support the drug I picked being safe, efficacious and the best choice for this patient?
· Have I provided clinical data, etc. to support a clear rationale as to why the other treatment options are NOT optimal?
· Is the focus of my discussion on mechanism of action and receptors/neurotransmitters that the drug acts on? If the answer is YES, you should consider doing additional research to address the above two questions
Also include how ethical considerations might impact your treatment plan and communication with clients.
The rubric, as I interpret it, suggests 5 references cited with every assignment for full credit on this portion (20 points).  References used for your introductory paragraph, ethical considerations or conclusion do not count towards the 5 references required.  As a general rule of thumb, I would encourage you to reference AT LEAST two sources (not including the textbook) for each decision point this will result in 6 references total for your clinical decision making.
Address the following Short Answer prompts for your Assignment. Be sure to include references to the Learning Resources for this week.