All about Drugs Flashcards
Name four things you’ll find on drug information.
- approved or generic name
- indications for use
- drug group or category
- common adverse effects
- pharmacodynamics
- contraindications and precautions
- mechanism of action
- significant drug interactions
- Pharmacokinetic parameters
- monitoring requirements
Name three different sources of drugs and give an example.
Plants
- atropine (belladonna)
Micro-organisms
- fungi as a source of antibiotics
Animals/humans
- human chorionic gonadotropin
Minerals/mineral products
- iron, iodine
Synthetic or chemical
- beta blockers, antidepressants
Genetic engineering
- bacteria engineered to produce specific drugs
Name all the drug families and their general function.
- ocaine
Local anaesthetics - cillin
Penicillins - ollol
Beta-blockers - tidine
Histamine H2 receptor antagonists - statin
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors - azepam
Benzodiazepines
What are the five uses for drug therapy?
Acute therapy: manage acute illness
Maintenance therapy: impairs disease progression
Palliative therapy: make comfortable in end stages of life
Supportive therapy: allow maintenance in recovery
Prophylactic therapy: preventative
Name two factors that influence the effectiveness of drugs. Explain.
Pharmacokinetic factors - e.g. body fat, smoking, age, gender, pregnancy, live disease
Pharmacodynamic factors - e.g. desensitisation, tolerance
Compliance - following all aspects of management plan
Drug interactions - other drugs, OTC preparations, particular food and drink
Polypharmacy - concurrent use of multiple drugs
Why is legislation important in the control of drugs and name two for both state and national level?
Legislation controls manufacture, sale, distribution, labelling, storage and administration through guidelines for handling and dispensing.
State legislation:
- Therapeutic Goods Act 1994
- Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981
- Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Regulations 2006
Commonwealth Legislation
- Therapeutic Goods Act 1989
- Therapeutic Goods Regulations 1990
- National Health Act 1953
- Narcotic Drugs Act 1967
What are the schedule numbers for medical drugs, chemicals used domestically or in agriculture, drugs of abuse and drugs of dependence?
Medical drugs - 2, 3, 7, 8
Chemicals - 5, 6
Drugs of abuse - 9
Drugs of dependence - 11
What is the pharmaceutical benefits scheme (PBS)?
Program by which approved drugs are subsidised in part by the government providing timely, reliable and affordable access for the Australian community to necessary and cost effective prescription medicines.
Name all the categories for risk of drug use in pregnancy, and explain at least three.
A: drugs taken by many pregnant women without harmful foetal effects
B: drugs taken by limited number of pregnant women with no proven increase in foetal effects
B1: animal studies have not produced evidence of higher incidence of risk
B2: animal studies possibly inadequate but no evidence of higher risk
B3: animal studies have shown evidence of foetal effect but human significance not clear
C: drugs having caused, or suspected of causing, foetal effect but not malformation
D: drugs that have caused, or are suspected of causing, foetal abnormality or damage
X: drugs with high risk of causing irreversible damage; should not be used in pregnancy
When checking a medication order, what must we be looking for?
- patients name in full,
- date and time order written
- name of drug to be administered
- dosage
- route of administration
- frequency of administration
- signature of person writing the order
Name the three checks and seven rights.
Check label:
- when you first collect container
- immediately prior to pouring or opening
- when replacing container
Right:
- person
- drug
- dose
- route
- time
- documentation
- to be informed
After administration of any drug what are the three things you must do?
- documentation
- assess effectiveness
- observe for adverse effects
What is a medication error?
Ay preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate use of patient harm while the medication is in the control of the healthcare profession, patient or consumer.
Name three ways errors occur.
- similar names
- abbreviations
- labelling
- packaging
- medication therapy
- miscalculating
- improper dosing
- lack or care/focus
