ANTIBIOTICS

Question 1

What is an Antibiotic?

Answer 1

Medications used to treat bacterial infections

Can ONLY be bactericidal or bacteriostatic

Question 2

Antibiotic Therapies

Answer 2

Empiric - treatment of an infection before specific culture info has been obtained

Definitive - antibiotic therapy tailored to treat organisms identified with cultures

Prophylactic - treatment with antibiotics to prevent an infection

Question 3

Mechanisms of Antibiotic Action

Answer 3

Interference with cell wall synthesis/protein synthesis, replication of nucleic acids, antimetabolite action

Question 4

Gram Staining

Answer 4

Means of identifying and classifying bacteria

Gram+ : purple stain color, thick cell wall

Gram- : red stain color, thin but complex cell wall structure

Question 5

Antibiotic Nursing Interventions

Answer 5

NAUSEA, VOMITING, DIARRHEA

Cannot be given with antacids, magnesium, iron, and calcium

Must obtain cultures before antibiotic therapy