To prepare:
A patient has comorbidity of multiple sclerosis and a second disorder of your choosing from among the following list:
Chronic kidney disease
Create a hypothetical patient profile for a patient who has multiple sclerosis and your second selected comorbidity. Be sure to include patient factors, sociodemographic indicators, and other characteristics.
Review the Resources related to multiple sclerosis and the second disorder you selected.
Assignment:
Write a 3- to 4-page complex case analysis that addresses the following:
Explain the pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis and your selected comorbidity. Explain how the alterations of each comorbid disorder impact each other. Be specific. Use the Learning Resources and/or best available evidence from current literature to support your explanation.
Explain how your patient’s factors and sociodemographic indicators might affect the pathophysiology of the disorders.
Describe the types of health assessments and diagnostic reasoning you would apply to this patient. Discuss special considerations related to gender, ethnicity, developmental level, etc., that you may need to consider and what effect they might have on assessment or treatment.
Explain any compensatory mechanisms (adaptive and maladaptive responses) the patient may be displaying.
Explain the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the medication(s) you would recommend to treat the symptoms associated with the patient’s comorbidities, taking into consideration this specific patient’s factors.
Explain how potential interactions between the medications that might be prescribed to treat the patient’s comorbid conditions justify the selection of the medications for this patient. Use the Learning Resources and/or best available evidence from current literature to support your rationale.
Explain how these drugs might impact various body systems in your patient, as well as measures you might take to help reduce any negative effects.
Explain how you might educate your patient on the disorders present, taking into consideration age, developmental level, or other important factors that may impact understanding. Include your rationale for each approach, as well as how you would promote medication adherence. Use the Learning Resources and/or best available evidence from current literature to support your rationale.
