1 Flashcards
(25 cards)
What is meant by the term pharmaceutics?
the science of preparing, using, or dispensing medicine
What is meant by the term ‘pharmacology’?
The method of action of drugs on a cellular and receptor level
What is meant by the term ‘pharmacodynamics’?
What the drug does to the body
What is meant by the term ‘pharmacokinetics’?
What the body does to the drug
What is an adverse drug reaction?
- Is an unwanted or harmful reaction which occurs after the administration of a drug * Unintended in dose usually used
What is a drug interaction?
- The effects of one drug are changed by the presence of another drug, herbal medicine, food/drink or by a environmental chemical agent
What is meant by the term affinity?
- The strength of the interaction between a drug and the binding site of the receptor.
What is meant by the term efficacy?
- Is the ability of a drug to produce a pharmacological response when it interacts with the receptor.
What is meant by the term Synergy?
- When two drugs individually produce similar effects (have similar efficacy), when put together give a super effect
The difference between the potency and efficacy of a drug?
- Potency refers to a drugs concentration, while efficacy refers to a drugs ability
What is meant by the term agonist?
- Drugs that bind to a receptor and cause a physiological response (blue inhaler)
What is meant by the term antagonist?
- Drugs that bind to a receptor and whose presence PREVENTS a physiological response or other drugs from binding (beta blocker)
What is meant by the term ‘narrow therapeutic index’?
- 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)
What is meant by the term ‘half life’?
- The amount of time the plasmsa concentration of a drug will take to reduce in concentration by half
What is a teratogen?
- Any agent that can disturb the development of an embryo/fetus
Pharmacokinetic changes- Drug absorption in pregnancy
- Increase in gastric PH
- Vomiting
- Increased muscle perfusion
What effects Drug distribution in pregnancy
- Increased cardiac output increases distribution
- Increased body water
- Increased plasma volume
- Reduced plasma albumin (due to haemodilution)
- Reduced binding affinity
- Increased body fat
What effects Drug elimination in preganncy
- 40-65% increase in GFR
- Enhanced clearance of renally excreted drugs (penicillin, lithium)
What is a medication error
A failure in the treatment process that leads to, or has the potential to lead to, harm to the patient
What is a prescribing error
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
What is the effect of prescribing errors?
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.
What causes errors to happen?
IT factors
Influence from patients
Lack of information from patients- communication
Team factors
Work environment- busy, noisy, short staff, being interrupted
Over worked,
Importance of reporting errors
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.
Drugs in pregnancy/breastfeeding, Which are most likely to cross placenta?
- Lower molecular weight
-lower maternal protein binding
-High lipophilicity
-longer half life
