1

Question 1

What is meant by the term pharmaceutics?

Answer 1

the science of preparing, using, or dispensing medicine

Question 2

What is meant by the term ‘pharmacology’?

Answer 2

The method of action of drugs on a cellular and receptor level

Question 3

What is meant by the term ‘pharmacodynamics’?

Answer 3

What the drug does to the body

Question 4

What is meant by the term ‘pharmacokinetics’?

Answer 4

What the body does to the drug

Question 5

What is an adverse drug reaction?

Answer 5

• Is an unwanted or harmful reaction which occurs after the administration of a drug * Unintended in dose usually used

Question 6

What is a drug interaction?

Answer 6

• The effects of one drug are changed by the presence of another drug, herbal medicine, food/drink or by a environmental chemical agent

Question 7

What is meant by the term affinity?

Answer 7

• The strength of the interaction between a drug and the binding site of the receptor.

Question 8

What is meant by the term efficacy?

Answer 8

• Is the ability of a drug to produce a pharmacological response when it interacts with the receptor.

Question 9

What is meant by the term Synergy?

Answer 9

• When two drugs individually produce similar effects (have similar efficacy), when put together give a super effect

Question 10

The difference between the potency and efficacy of a drug?

Answer 10

• Potency refers to a drugs concentration, while efficacy refers to a drugs ability

Question 11

What is meant by the term agonist?

Answer 11

• Drugs that bind to a receptor and cause a physiological response (blue inhaler)

Question 12

What is meant by the term antagonist?

Answer 12

• Drugs that bind to a receptor and whose presence PREVENTS a physiological response or other drugs from binding (beta blocker)

Question 13

What is meant by the term ‘narrow therapeutic index’?

Answer 13

• A drug where the plasma concentration of the drug needed to provide a therapeutic response is close to that which has a toxic effect (warfarin, lithium)

Question 14

What is meant by the term ‘half life’?

Answer 14

• The amount of time the plasmsa concentration of a drug will take to reduce in concentration by half

Question 15

What is a teratogen?

Answer 15

• Any agent that can disturb the development of an embryo/fetus

Question 16

Pharmacokinetic changes- Drug absorption in pregnancy

Answer 16

• Increase in gastric PH
• Vomiting
• Increased muscle perfusion

Question 17

What effects Drug distribution in pregnancy

Answer 17

• Increased cardiac output increases distribution
• Increased body water
• Increased plasma volume
• Reduced plasma albumin (due to haemodilution)
• Reduced binding affinity
• Increased body fat

Question 18

What effects Drug elimination in preganncy

Answer 18

• 40-65% increase in GFR
• Enhanced clearance of renally excreted drugs (penicillin, lithium)

Question 19

What is a medication error

Answer 19

A failure in the treatment process that leads to, or has the potential to lead to, harm to the patient

Question 20

What is a prescribing error

Answer 20

When as a result of a prescribing decision or prescription writing process, there is unintentional significant:
1. Reduction in the probability of the treatment being timely and effective or,
2. Increase in the risk of harm when compared to generally accepted practice

Question 21

What is the effect of prescribing errors?

Answer 21

Monetary cost of new prescription, drugs dispensed waste. Lack of trust in health services. Incorrect meds being received, wrong dose, wrong time can lead to health condition worsening. Danger to patient if wrong drug, allergies etc. Cause death, more people in hospital. Medical negligence claims. Create more workload even if don’t cause harm to patient.

Question 22

What causes errors to happen?

Answer 22

IT factors
Influence from patients
Lack of information from patients- communication
Team factors
Work environment- busy, noisy, short staff, being interrupted
Over worked,

Question 23

Importance of reporting errors

Answer 23

Learn from mistakes
To highlight failures in system, highlight need for training, duty of candour- to let the patient know and ensure apology. Identify strategies to prevent errors, reduces likelihood of reocurrence. Facilitates learning individually, locally and nationally.

Question 24

Drugs in pregnancy/breastfeeding, Which are most likely to cross placenta?

Answer 24

• Lower molecular weight
  -lower maternal protein binding
  -High lipophilicity
  -longer half life

Question 25

Which drugs are safer to prescribe in pregnancy

Answer 25

-Shorter half -life
-If they are availble to children
-Water soluble rather than fat soluble
-larger molecular sie
-Low milk:plasma ratio