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NURS 6521 Module 8: Pediatrics

    NURS 6521 Module 8: Pediatrics

    NURS 6521 Module 8: Pediatrics

    As an advanced practice nurse, you provide patient care across all stages of the lifespan. While you may not necessarily specialize in pediatrics, you will likely come across pediatric patients and may be involved in developing, implementing, and recommending drug therapy plans for pediatric patients. Of special note, the proper dosing and administration of pharmacotherapeutics for pediatric patients ensures their continued growth, development, and promotion of positive health outcomes.

    What’s Happening This Module?

    Module 8: Pediatrics is a 1-week module, Week 11 of the course. In this module, you will examine the practice of prescribing off-label drugs to children and explore strategies for making off-label drug use safer for children. You also complete your Final Exam.

    What do I have to do?     When do I have to do it?    
    Review your Learning Resources Days 1-7, Week 11
    Assignment: Off-Label Drug Use in Pediatrics Submit your Assignment by Day 5 of Week 11.
    Final Exam Complete by Day 7 of Week 11.
    Week 11: Pediatrics

    Children, like adults, deal with variety of health issues, but they also have issues that are more prevalent within their population. One issue that significantly impacts children is the prescription of drugs for off-label use. As an advanced practice nurse, how do you determine the appropriate use of off-label drugs in pediatrics? Are there certain drugs that should be avoided with pediatric patients?

    This week, you examine the practice of prescribing off-label drugs to children. You also explore strategies for making off-label drug use safer for children from infancy to adolescence, as it is essential that you are prepared to make drug-related decisions for pediatric patients in clinical settings.

    Learning Objectives

    Students will:

    Evaluate the practice of prescribing off-label drugs to children
    Analyze strategies to make the off-label use of drugs safer for children
    Identify key terms, concepts, and principles related to prescribing drugs to treat patient disorders
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    Learning Resources

    Rosenthal, L. D., & Burchum, J. R. (2021). Lehne’s pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice nurses and physician assistants (2nd ed.) St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.

    Chapter 9, “Drug Therapy in Pediatric Patients” (pp. 58—60)

    Corny, J., Lebel, D., Bailey, B., & Bussieres, J. (2015). Unlicensed and off-label drug use in children before and after pediatric governmental initiatives. The Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 20(4), 316–328. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4557722/

    This article highlights pediatric governmental initiatives to prevent unlicensed and off-label drug use in children. Review these initiatives and guidelines and how they might impact your practice as an advanced practice nurse.

    Panther, S. G., Knotts, A. M., Odom-Maryon, T., Daratha, K., Woo, T., & Klein, T. A. (2017). Off-label prescribing trends for ADHD medications in very young children. The Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 22(6), 423–429. doi:10.5863/1551-6776-22.6.423

    This study examines the frequency of off-label prescribing to children and explores factors that impact off-label prescribing. This study also examines off-label prescribing to children with ADHD.

    Document: Final Exam Study Guide (PDF)

    Laureate Education (Producer). (2019i). Therapy for pediatric clients with mood disorders [Interactive media file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

    Assignment: Off-Label Drug Use in Pediatrics

    The unapproved use of approved drugs, also called off-label use, with children is quite common. This is because pediatric dosage guidelines are typically unavailable, since very few drugs have been specifically researched and tested with children.

    When treating children, prescribers often adjust dosages approved for adults to accommodate a child’s weight. However, children are not just “smaller” adults. Adults and children process and respond to drugs differently in their absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.

    Children even respond differently during stages from infancy to adolescence. This poses potential safety concerns when prescribing drugs to pediatric patients. As an advanced practice nurse, you have to be aware of safety implications of the off-label use of drugs with this patient group. NURS 6521 Module 8: Pediatrics

    To Prepare
    Review the interactive media piece in this week’s Resources and reflect on the types of drugs used to treat pediatric patients with mood disorders.
    Reflect on situations in which children should be prescribed drugs for off-label use.
    Think about strategies to make the off-label use and dosage of drugs safer for children from infancy to adolescence. Consider specific off-label drugs that you think require extra care and attention when used in pediatrics.
    By Day 5 of Week 11

    Write a 1-page narrative in APA format that addresses the following:

    Explain the circumstances under which children should be prescribed drugs for off-label use. Be specific and provide examples.
    Describe strategies to make the off-label use and dosage of drugs safer for children from infancy to adolescence. Include descriptions and names of off-label drugs that require extra care and attention when used in pediatrics.

    Reminder: The College of Nursing requires that all papers submitted include a title page, introduction, summary, and references. The Sample Paper provided at the Walden Writing Center offers an example of those required elements (available at http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/57.htm). All papers submitted must use this formatting.

    Submission and Grading Information

    To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

    Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK11Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
    Click the Week 11 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
    Click the Week 11 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
    Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK11Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
    If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
    Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.
    Grading Criteria

    To access your rubric:

    Week 11 Assignment Rubric

    Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity

    To check your Assignment draft for authenticity:

    Submit your Week 11 Assignment draft and review the originality report.

    Submit Your Assignment by Day 5 of Week 11

    To participate in this Assignment:

    Week 11 Assignment

    Final Exam

    This Exam covers the content you have explored throughout this course.

    This exam is a test of your knowledge in preparation for your certification exam. No outside resources—including books, notes, websites, or any other type of resource—are to be used to complete this exam. You are not allowed to take screenshots or record the exam questions in any other format while taking the exam. You are expected to comply with Walden University’s Code of Conduct.

    Photo Credit: Getty Images

    By Day 7 of Week 11

    Complete the Final Exam.

    Submission and Grading Information
    Complete the Exam by Day 7 of Week 11

    To Complete this Exam:

    Week 11 Exam

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