Pharmacokinetics: Drug Dosing in Renal Disease (FutureLearn)

On this course, you will learn the principles of pharmacokinetics and drug dose adjustment in patients with renal disease. You will be introduced to basic kidney physiology and functions, including the filtration, secretion and reabsorption of water, and the mechanisms of renal drug excretion.

You will learn how to calculate renal clearance, and how to recommend dosing regimen for patients with the disease. You will also explore the general principles for dosage adjustment in dialysis patients, and be able to describe the typical clinical presentation of chronic renal failure.

What topics will you cover?

In this course, you will learn the principles of pharmacokinetics and drug dose adjustment in renal disease.

Week 1 - Renal Physiology and Function

Learn the basic physiology of the kidneys and describe filtration, secretion and reabsorption of water, electrolytes and small molecular weight non-electrolytes

Week 2 - Pharmacokinetics and Dosing Regimen in Renal Failure

Understand the mechanisms of renal drug excretion

Week 3 - Dosing Regimen And Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Renal Failure

Become proficient at interpolating or extrapolating concentration based on first order kinetics

Week 4 - Dosing Regimen in Renal Dialysis

Learn to calculate dialysis clearance using the A-V difference method/ using dialysate concentration

Week 5 - Acute Renal Failure

Explore pathophysiology and the most common causes of prerenal, intrinsic, and postrenal.

Week 6 - Chronic Renal Failure

Learn to describe the typical clinical presentation of chronic renal failure

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

- Explain basic physiology of the kidneys

- Calculate renal clearance by excretion rate method / renal clearance by urinary recovery method

- Describe pharmacokinetic factors that affect dialysability of drugs

- Describe the most common causes of chronic renal failure

- Assess an appropriate therapy for chronic renal failure and secondary complications

Who is the course for?

This course is for anyone requiring clinical pharmacokinetic knowledge, including undergraduate pharmacy students, post-graduate pharmacy students and pharmacists in clinical practice.