Topic: Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Disorders. Please review the patient case below for the assignment.
Case study:
Patient HL comes into the clinic with the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The patient has a history of drug abuse and possible Hepatitis C. HL is currently taking the following prescriiption drugs:
• Synthroid 100 mcg daily
• Nifedipine 30 mg daily
• Prednisone 10 mg daily
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.
Write a 1-page paper that addresses the following:
1. Explain your diagnosis for the patient, including your rationale for the diagnosis. GI is very non-specific. Do not be surprised if you must make an educated guess. Include ONE diagnosis and include your reasoning for the ONE diagnosis. Do NOT include other possible diagnoses.
Start your paper with “My diagnosis is XXX because…” Do NOT include stats or a lot of pathophysiology. Instead, tell me why you think the patient has this diagnosis. This will be your introduction. You do NOT need to include the patient case itself.
2. Describe an appropriate drug therapy plan based on the patient’s history, diagnosis, and drugs currently prescribed. Use bullet points for the drug therapy plan. Include a point for each drug the patient is currently taking. Should it be continued, adjusted, or stopped? Add new drugs if needed. Include drug name, dose, frequency, and duration of treatment / follow-up.
3. Justify why you would recommend this drug therapy plan for this patient. Be specific and provide examples. Why did you choose to treat the patient this way? Refer to treatment guidelines if available or standard practice if no treatment guidelines are available. Consider drug/drug and drug/disease interactions. You will need to use a drug reference like Merck Manual or UpToDate for information on the disease state and the drugs. Use primary research studies that fit the patient.
