SEATWORK A.

1. Find a print advertisement for a medication. What does the article state about the
medication? What entices people to want to use this medication?

CHILDREN’S BIOFLU

Children’s Bioflu printed advertisement states that we need t be alert against the
influenza or flu especially children since Flu is very common during rainy season.
The advertisement want to ask speciallu mother if they are ready if ever they observed
the signs and symptoms of flu manifesting to their kids. So to make sure their kids are
flu-free, they suggest to give Children’s Bioflu and they claim that it can fight the
symptoms of flu before it gets worse.
Children’s Bioflu printed advertisement states that when children have fever with
cough or weakness or common colds, it is already considered as flu or signs of flu
that’s why the advertisement suggest that Bioflu is the most suitable medications to
treat their kids. In order to fight the symptoms of flu they suggest to give their
children to give their kids the Children’s Bioflu every 6 hours or as recommended by
their doctors. It can be given 2-12 years old .
One of the factors that can attract people to make them want to use this
medication is the print advertisement itself. Since the advertisement has an attractive
colors, good photography and readable texts. Also their printed advertisement is up-
to-date that the weather today is rainy and it is also true that there is higher risk to get
flu during this time. Because of this, the mothers will use this for their children.
Aside from this, the brand itself is known that’s why after seeing the
advertisement with the company written on it, the people will already trust it because
many people already but this since many people already used it and testified how
effective it was. It does not also indicate the side effects of the drug so the consumer
will not doubt buying it since they are not informed about the side effects it can bring.
The printed advertisement just included the benefits and good side of their product but
does not indicate its side effects since it can affect their sales.
2. Describe why the lack of control on herbal and alternative therapies can impact
safe drug therapy. What responsibilities do nurses have related to herbal and
alternative therapies?

Herbal therapy is the use of plants and plant extracts to treat disease. While
alternative therapy is a term that describes medical treatments that are used instead of
traditional (mainstream) therapies. Some people also refer to it as “integrative,” or
“complementary” medicine.
Lack of control on herbal and alternative therapies can impact safe drug therapy
makes people prefer and has greater interest with the use of natural therapies and
alternative therapy because they are being mislead to believe that all natural
treatments are safe and do not carry risks. Although we cannot deny the fact that
herbal and alternative therapies have various claims of efficacy and effectiveness,
there are still contraindications and side effects it can carry but most people are not
aware of that.
Lack of control to these therapies allows people use it every time they want and
tend to self-medicate and they loss their interest with the use of safe drug therapy
which undergone clinical trials and studies. Because herbal and alternative therapy
can be found every where, people use it instead of spending money buying drugs
approved by the FDA. Its lack of control makes people dissatisfied with the result of
safe drug therapy and find it ineffective and inadequate in the treatment of the disease.
In short, one of the effect of lack of control on herbal and alternative therapies to safe
drug therapy is people trust them rather than safe drug therapy.
One of the worst case scenario why people thinks that safe drug therapy is not
effective is because before they seek for medical advise is when their condition is
already severe and complicated. At first, they will depend in the herbal and alternative
therapies then when their situation is already hard to treat, they will seek for medical
advise but since it is already complicated, there will be possibilities that the
medication cannot already cure them or can cause them more adverse and side effects
making them think that safe drug therapies are not effective.
One of the nurses’ responsibilities when it comes to this matter is to educate the
clients or patients. Aside from the benefits or uses of a specific herbal medicine or
alternative therapy, patients should also be informed about the side effects,
preparation, contraindications and amount of intake should also be known to the
patient or client.
One of the misconceptions of people is that herbal and alternative therapies have
no side effects but in reality, they also carry side effects or adverse effect. For
example, garlic used to lower blood pressure, but it also have side effects like allergic
reactions and skin inflammation. People should be familiar with the side effects of
these therapies so they will not worry much and can prepare interventions if it occurs.
Nurses should also educate by doing health teaching about the contraindications
of those therapies. For example, since garlic helps to lower blood pressure, it should
not be taken by people with a low blood pressure already because it can make their
situation worse. Also, patients should also be educated with the proper preparation
especially herbal medicine so the can attain the maximum effectiveness of the
medication. They should know what herbal plant should undergo poultice, decoction,
infusion, tincture and etc.
3. Define off-label use of drug.Discuss pros and cons of off-label use of drug use.
What is the role of nurses in off-label drug use?

Off-label means that the drug is used or used in a form that is not stated in the
authorized package label of the FDA. This label is a written report that provides
detailed instructions on the approved uses and doses, based on the results of clinical
trials submitted to the FDA by the drug maker. Despite the prominence of off-label
drug use, experts say few patients are aware that they are receiving a drug off-label.
And doctors are not required to tell a patient that a drug is being used off-label.
Off-label drugs are used for cancer patients whose tumors have mutations that
make them good candidates for a therapy used to target that mutation in another type
of cancer. Chemotherapy drug approved for one type of cancer may actually target
many different types of tumors. Off-label use of a drug or combination of drugs often
represents the standard of care.
Beta-blockers are another example of beneficial off-label prescribing. Such
medications are FDA-approved for the treatment of high blood pressure, but are
widely recognized by cardiologists as a standard of care for patients with heart failure.
And in fact, some beta blockers are now formally approved to treat heart failure. It's
not uncommon for off-label uses to eventually get approved by the FDA.
Off-label prescribing can expose patients to risky treatment since technically, that
drug is not intended to treat that disease. It is not approved by the FDA that it is safe
for that disease. It seems that in most cases, the use of off-label drugs are “trials and
error” where that drug may be effective or it may worsen situation of the patient.
There are no guarantee that it is effective to use in that specific disease since it was
not yet approved. Fen-Phen is one of the best examples of off-label use with a poor
outcome. The FDA approved medications fenfluramine hydrochloride and
phentermine hydrocholoride as individual, short-term treatments for obesity. But
doctors eventually began prescribing the two drugs together after an article describing
the cocktail's dramatic weight loss effects appeared in a medical journal and
numerous mainstream publications.
A recent study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine examined the
off-label use of a number of prescription drugs to discover how often such
medications induced preventable harmful medication effects and find even when there
was little or no clinical evidence that the product was appropriate for the specified
disease. Although some off-label therapies can be beneficial and even lifesaving for
some patients, in most cases, there is little or no scientific evidence to prove they
work. off-label use has been identified as one aspect of problematic drug prescribing,"
in part because of inadequate data regarding drug safety and effectiveness for the off-
label use.
Patients should be informed that the drug being prescribed in an off-label drug
and explain the rationale for that treatment by the physician. After the patient is being
informed and she decided to use it, the nurses’ role is to let the patient sign an
informed consent allowing herself to use off -label drugs. The nurse must be well
informed about the drug and the treatment protocol prescribed. As always,
documentation is of utmost importance in this case.