It is incorporated into plants through photosynthesis, and then into animals when they consume plants. The carbon undergoes radioactive decay once the plant or animal dies, and measuring the amount of carbon in a sample conveys information about when the plant or animal died. This relationship enables the determination of all values, as long as at least one is known.
Because of the highly theoretical model of half-life, it is often challenging to implement into practice and use it as a tool for clinical decision making. Thus, medical students and physicians need to factor such realities into half-life calculations for effective and safe pharmacological management. Numerous studies have attempted to establish methodologies that account for such nuances in the management of disease based on individual pharmacokinetic drug profiles.
The clinical significance of half-life tends to arise in situations involving drug toxicity. These incidences can result from patients who have overdosed or received an incorrect amount of a particular drug from medical staff, who have clinically significant renal or hepatic failure, or who have any other multitude of factors that increase drug plasma concentrations above a given toxic threshold. In the case of renal failure, drug excretion will be impaired, and consequently, the peak initial concentration and excretion rate of a given drug will increase.
Because the liver inactivates active metabolites at a slower rate, the body will take a more extended period to remove the drug from circulation. The regular occurrence of these types of clinical scenarios explains why medical professionals rely so frequently on half-life drug calculations in practice, and why it continues to receive emphasis throughout medical education. Understanding the concept of half-life when establishing dosing schedules is an important first step in the pharmacological treatment of a patient.
Arguably more important, though, is the communication of this management plan from physician or pharmacist to the interprofessional care team. Effective communication continues to be a significant determinant of quality care delivery. One literature review suggests that communication requires heavy emphasis before entering clinical settings so that healthcare professionals during training can have an adequate mastery of these skills by the time they have patient interactions.
This is not to say, however, that written communication does not go without its strengths. Written communication provides a more permanent record that can be revisited if needed.
Also, the evolution of electronic medical records allows for almost instantaneous transmission of entire patient records regardless of the distance between healthcare providers, something that face-to-face communication is less suited for [Level 4].
Unsurprisingly, interprofessional communication has been correlated with patient satisfaction, as well. This poor communication could have occurred during any point throughout a patient's care, whether it was between patient to staff member, nurse to physician, between physicians, or physician to the patient.
Due to the complexity of any individual's course through the healthcare system, From a financial perspective, Medicare continues to utilize patient satisfaction surveys in determining hospital reimbursement through pay-for-performance programs, which have proven to be an effective incentive for healthcare professionals and how they conduct themselves with and around patients. This aspect of healthcare continues to be heavily researched because of its implications in patient satisfaction with healthcare professionals and remains a top priority for hospitals and healthcare providers worldwide.
Contributed by Chemistry LibreTexts. This book is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4. Turn recording back on. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. StatPearls [Internet]. Search term. Affiliations 1 California Northstate University. Issues of Concern Half-life is one of the oldest pharmacokinetic parameters discussed in the medical community yet continues to be a source of confusion for many medical students and even well-versed clinicians.
Clinical Significance The clinical significance of half-life tends to arise in situations involving drug toxicity. Nursing, Allied Health, and Interprofessional Team Interventions Understanding the concept of half-life when establishing dosing schedules is an important first step in the pharmacological treatment of a patient.
Review Questions Access free multiple choice questions on this topic. Comment on this article. Figure half life elimination curve.
References 1. Physiology, Zero and First Order Kinetics. The drink Caffeine sensitivity is how efficiently you can process and metabolize caffeine and is determined by your genes. We help you This article traces the path and effects of caffeine throughout the body and explains how caffeine is metabolized or broken This is from a supplement company Nature's Plus.
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