PH1.1-3 | PH1.1-3 | Core Pharmacology Terms and Therapeutic Reasoning — SDL Guide — Summary & Reflection

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Pharmacology is the scientific study of drugs across five sub-disciplines: pharmacokinetics (body acts on drug; ADME), pharmacodynamics (drug acts on body; mechanism and effects), pharmacognosy (natural-source drugs), pharmacotherapeutics (clinical application), and toxicology (adverse/poisonous effects).

Rational drug use (WHO, 1985) requires the right drug, indication, dose, route, duration, and patient information — failing any criterion makes prescribing irrational, with real consequences for individual patients and public health.

Drug nomenclature: Every drug has a chemical name (molecular structure), a generic/INN name (globally standardised; use this on prescriptions), and brand name(s) (trademarked; variable cost). Indian law classifies drugs into Schedules H, H1, and X by prescription stringency, with Schedule H1 targeting antibiotic stewardship.

Evidence-based medicine ranks evidence from expert opinion (weakest) through RCTs to systematic reviews/meta-analyses (strongest). NNT and NNH translate statistical results into clinically actionable risk-benefit comparisons.

Therapeutic reasoning integrates all four domains in real time: confirm the indication, consult the hierarchy of evidence, prescribe by generic name at the lowest effective cost, and communicate the decision to the patient.

REFLECT

Think about the last time you (or a family member) received a drug prescription. Was the prescribing rational by WHO criteria? Was a generic or brand-name drug prescribed? Was the evidence for that drug explained? What would you have done differently as the prescribing clinician? Write two or three sentences reflecting on one aspect of that encounter that you now view differently after completing this module.