NURS6521: Week 4 – Assignment 

Assignment: Pharmacotherapy for
Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary

Disorders

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● Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
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.
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 to 2 -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.

Learning Resources

Required Readings (click to expand/reduce)
Rosenthal, L. D., & Burchum, J. R. (2021). Lehne’s pharmacotherapeutics for
advanced practice nurses and physician assistants (2nd ed.) St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
● Chapter 64, “Drugs for Peptic Ulcer Disease” (pp. 589–597)
● Chapter 65, “Laxatives” (pp. 598–604)
● Chapter 66, “Other Gastrointestinal Drugs” (pp. 605–616)

● Chapter 80, “Antiviral Agents I: Drugs for Non-HIV Viral Infections” (pp.
723–743)
Chalasani, N., Younossi, Z., Lavine, J. E., Charlton, M., Cusi, K., Rinella, M., . . .
Sanya, A. J. (2018). The diagnosis and management of nonalcoholic fatty liver
disease: Practice guidance from the American Association for the Study of Liver
Diseases. Hepatology, 67(1) , 328–357. Retrieved from
https://aasldpubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/hep.29367