Introduction to pharmacokinetics

Pharmacology is an area many nurse prescribers, whether they are prescribing students or qualified prescribers, worry about. They are very aware of the importance of pharmacological knowledge and its impact on safe prescribing. Nurse prescribers typically want to know how much information they need and what depth and breadth that information should take. Another area they worry about is how many drugs they need to be familiar with. This series will explore some concepts in pharmacology to support the prescriber in developing that knowledge. This article begins by examining the basic concepts of pharmacokinetics to allow the reader to improve their understanding of drug handling within the body. It will explore the processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion to chart a drugs ‘route’ from administration to elimination