Pharmacology for Health Care Professionals is an accessible introduction to the pharmacology necessary for members of the Health Care Professions training to become supplementary prescribers and those looking for an overview of the subject. This book will cover the pharmacology covered in accredited training programmes and will be useful as an ongoing reference for future use in practice. Opening with a general introduction to pharmacology as a science, the book goes on to explain what is meant by drugs and medicine and why pharmacology would be of relevance to the Health Care Professions. Students are then presented with systemic pharmacology that covers the actions of important groups of drugs in common use to treat diseases and conditions of the cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine and musculoskeletal systems. The physiology and pathophysiology relevant to the understanding of how these drugs work will also be included. Finally, the book explores the law in relation to the sale, supply, prescription and administration of drugs and explains what supplementary prescribing is and how it came about. There is also a consideration of non-medical prescribing in the nursing profession and what this might mean to the other Health Care Professions with examples and experiences from the use of supplementary prescribing in practice amongst Nurses and Pharmacists. Pharmacology is explained in simple, easy to understand terms and the book avoids any unnecessary chemistry where possible. Case studies are included throughout that are of particular relevance to Health Care Professionals and used to illustrate the importance of the pharmacology of major body systems and pathologies.