Why Should Healthcare Providers Know the Difference Between Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics?

Elizabeth Dodds-Ashley, PharmD, MHS, at the Department of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, discusses the importance of healthcare providers knowing the differences between pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.

Interview Transcript (slightly modified for readability)

“There are many factors that contribute to antibiotic resistance. We know that if we don’t get the dose correct, if we give too little, we might promote resistance, if we give too much we might alter the microbiome, and that may affect resistance in ways [that] we’re still studying. I think it’s also important that we’re sure that we’re giving patients the best dose possible to treat the infections they may have. It gives the patients the best chance of a successful outcome if they get the right dose of drug without getting too much, because on the other side of that, there are a lot of drug toxicities that are associated with doses that are higher than needed. So we might see toxicity if we’re overdosing, and we might see less efficacy if we’re under-dosing. We need to be sure that we’re considering all those principles to get the patients on the right dose of the right drug at the right time.”