Case study presentation: Assessment 2

A patient in the pharmacy has several questions about their medication. They want to understand how it works and how they should use the medication. You should identify the functional groups on the drug molecule that are responsible for its mode of action, where the drug is most likely to be absorbed into the blood stream and whether its absorption is affected by acidic or basic conditions.

Your 3 minute presentation should be in two parts,

Part 1

In Part 1 you should present your scientific findings to your peers. This part should include:

Structure of the molecule
Identify the functional groups on the molecule and indicate whether you think they would contribute to its solubility/insolubility in water
Do acid or base conditions affect how well the drug absorbs into the blood stream?
How do the (acid/base/hydrophilic/lipophilic) characteristics of the drug affect its route of administration (topical/oral etc)
To present your drug structure to the class “your colleagues”. You can use powerpoint, a poster/butchers paper or a hand-out.

Part 2

In part 2 you should explain the science to the patient in laymen’s terms (ie in language that a patient would understand). You should include:

How the medication works:
That is, a summary of the mode of action in laymen’s terms

There is no need for chemical mechanisms here. Just describe whether enzyme inhibition occurs or whether the drug is an antagonist/agonist of a receptor (blocker or activator/mimic of natural ligand). If the actual mechanism is unclear, state what the current theory is eg: “the drug is thought to have a direct effect on the cell membrane”. Or “the drug inhibits an enzyme which leads to lower blood pressure, essentially reducing the action of this enzyme reduces the production of a chemical that causes vessel constriction. Vessel constriction leads to higher blood pressure in the same way that squeezing a water bottle increases pressure. so taking this medicine enables your blood vessels to remain relaxed or dilated.”

How to use it (eg: is it oral or topical, is it a mouthwash or do they ingest it?).