Lectures 1 and 2 Flashcards
To safely and accurately administer medications, you need knowledge related to(8):
1) Legal aspects of health
2) care
3) Pharmacology
4) Pharmacokinetics
5) Life sciences
6) Pathophysiology
7) Human anatomy
8) Mathematics
what is medication used for?
Diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of health problems
When it comes to medication, nurses are responsible for evaluating…
1) effects of meds on pt health status
2) teaching pts about meds and side effects
3) making sure they adhere to the med regimen
4) and evaluating the pt/family/caregivers ability to self-administer meds
what was the first American law designed to regulate medications?
the Pure Food and Drug Act; requires all medications to be free of impurities
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enforces medication laws to ensure that all medications on the market…
undergo vigorous testing before they are sold to the public
the federal medication law extended and refined controls on(3)…
1) Medication sales and distribution
2) Medical testing, naming, and labeling
3) Regulation of controlled substances
the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) and the National Formulary set standards for medication(7):
1) Strength
2) Quality
3) Purity
4) Packaging
5) Safety
6) Labeling
7) Dose
the FDA instituted the MedWatch program.
what is it?
a voluntary program that encourages nurses and other healthcare workers to use the MedWatch form to report when a medication, product, or medical event causes serious harm to a patient
state and local medication laws must conform to…
federal legislation
state laws control substances not regulated by…
the federal government
who regulates the use of alcohol and tobacco?
local laws
healthcare institutions and medical laws establish policies to meet federal, state, and local regulations. Agency policies are often (BLANK) than governmental controls.
more restrictive
medication regulations and nursing practice are governed by individual state…
Nurse Practice Acts (NPAs)
why are Nurse Practice Acts purposefully broad?
so nurses’ professional responsibilities are not limited
what is the primary purpose of NPAs?
to protect the public from unskilled, undereducated, unlicensed personnel
drugs can have up to three different names. what are they?
1) Chemical names
2) Generic names
3) Trade names
describe chemical drug names
provides the exact description of the medication’s composition
e.g. N-acetyl-para-aminophenol
describe generic drug names
The manufacturer who first develops the drug assigns the name, and it is listed in the U.S. Pharmocopeia
e.g. acetaminophen
describe drug trade names
also known as a brand or proprietary name.
e.g. Tylenol, Panadol, Tempra
manufacturers choose trade names so that they are…
easy to pronounce, spell, and remember
drugs are classified according to their(3):
1) Effect on the body system
2) symptoms the med relieves
3) Medications desired effect
some meds have more than one classification. what is an example?
Aspirin which can be:
* analgesic
* antipyretic
* anti-inflammatory
what forms do medications come in?
1) solid
2) liquid
3) other oral forms
4) topical
5) parenteral
what is pharmacokinetics(6)?
the study of how medications:
1) enter the body
2) are absorbed and distributed into cells, tissues, and organs
3) reach their site of action
4) alter physiological functions
5) are metabolized
6) exit the body
Short list:
1) absorbed
2) distributed
3) metabolized
4) excreted
You are caring for a patient who has diabetes complicated by kidney disease. You need to make a detailed assessment when administering medications because this patient may experience problems with:
A. absorption.
B. biotransformation.
C. distribution.
D. excretion.
D
what is the absorption of medication?
the passage of medication molecules into the blood from the site of administration
what are the factors that influence the rate of medication absorption?
1) route of administration
2) ability of medication to dissolve
3) blood flow to the site of administration
4) body surface area
5) lipid solubility
each route of administration has a different rate of absorption. describe the speed of each route:
1) skin- slow absorption
2) mucous membrane and respiratory tract - quick rate of absorption
3) intravenous - fastest absorption rate
4) Oral - faster than skin and slower than IV
the blood supply to the site of administration will determine…
how quickly the body can absorb the drug
when a medication comes in contact with a larger surface area…
it is absorbed at a faster rate
when taken orally, where is most of the medication absorbed?
in the small intestine
why do highly lipid-soluble medications absorb quickly?
because cell membranes have a lipid layer and the drug can cross those membranes easily
why is it often appropriate to administer medication before or after meals, with meals, or on an empty stomach?
because some medications interact with food
What is the distribution of medication?
the delivery of medication to tissues, organs, and specific sites of action after it is absorbed into the blood
distribution depends on:
1) physical and chemical properties of the medication
2) physiology of the person taking it:
* circulation
* membrane permeability
* protein binding
what type of medication can pass through the blood-brain barrier that surrounds the CNS?
lipid-soluble medications
most medications bind to albumin to some extent. what happens when medication binds to albumin?
it becomes inactive. unbound free floating medication is its active form
how are medications metabolized?
mostly in the liver but can also occur in:
* lungs
* kidneys
* blood
* intestines
what is biotransformation?
a fancy word for metabolism
what happens when patients with liver disease take medication?
medication metabolizes more slowly and can lead to accumulation leading to medication toxicity
what determines the organ that medication is excreted from?
the chemical makeup of the medication
what is the main organ of excretion?
the kidneys
what is the livers role in medication elimination?
breaks down medications
what is the lungs’ role in medication elimination?
anesthetics and alcohol is excreted through the lungs in the form of gas
what is the bowels role in medication elimination?
after chemicals enter the intestine through the biliary tract, the intestines resorb them and they exit with feces
what is the exocrine glands’ role in medication excretion?
exocrine glands excrete lipid-soluble medications
what is a therapeutic effect of medication?
the expected/desired effect of a medication
what is an adverse effect of medication?
unintended/undesirable effect of a medication
what types of adverse effects of medication are there(5)?
1) side effect
2) toxic effect
3) idiosyncratic reaction
4) allergic reaction
5) medication interaction
describe side effects(2)
- predictable, unavoidable secondary effect of medication
- can range from harmless to serious
describe a toxic effect(3)
- accumulation of medication in the bloodstream
- occurs with prolonged medication use + impaired metabolism or excretion
- antidotes can treat specific types of medication toxicity
describe an idiosyncratic reaction
an overreaction/underreaction or a different reaction from normal
adverse effects of medication range from…
mild to severe
how quickly do adverse effects to medication happen?
they can happen immediately or develop over time
how does an allergic reaction to a medication develop?
1) no reaction on the first initial dose (pt becomes sensitized)
2) when administered a second time, pt develops an allergic response to it, its preservatives, or a metabolite
3) the medication or chemical component acts as an antigen triggering release of antibodies
antibiotics cause a high incidence of…
allergic reactions
what kind of allergic reactions are life-threatening?
severe or anaphylactic reactions
describe a medication interaction
- when one medication modifies the action of another; common when multiple meds are being taken
- some meds can increase/diminish the action of others or alter absorption, metabolism, or excretion
what happens when two medications have a synergistic effect?
their combined effect is greater than when given separately
e.g. Vicodin
A postoperative patient is receiving morphine sulfate via patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). The nurse assesses that the patient’s respirations are depressed. The effects of the morphine sulfate can be classified as:
A. allergic.
B. idiosyncratic.
C. therapeutic.
D. toxic.
D
What is therapeutic range?
a constant blood level within a safe range between minimum effective range and toxic range (desired)
highest level = peak
lowest level = trough
What is the minimum effective concentration(MEC)?
plasma level of a medication below which the effect of the medication does not occur
what is peak concentration and trough concentration?
- peak concentration is the highest level within the therapeutic range
- trough concentration is the lowest level within therapeutic range
describe how IV medications fluctuate in the therapeutic range
when administered, peak concentration occurs quickly but serum levels begin to fall immediately
what is a biological half-life?
- the time it takes for the excretion process to lower the amount of unchanged medication by half
- meds with short half-life will be given more frequently than those with a higher half-life
according the the Institute for Safe Medication Practices guidelines, hospitals need to…
determine which medications are time critical and which are non-time critical
what are time-critical medications?
meds that early or delayed administration of maintenance doses(more than 30 minutes before or after scheduled dose) will likely result in harm or subtherapeutic responses to pts
what are non-time-critical medications?
meds that can be administered within 1-2 hours of their scheduled time
describe the oral route of medication administration(4)
1) given by mouth and swallowed with fluid
2) easiest and most commonly used
3) slower onset but more prolonged effect than IV medication
4) generally preferred by patients
describe sublingual route of medication administration(2)
1) placed under tongue where it dissolves
e.g. nitroglycerine
2) instruct patients not to swallow medication or drink anything until medication is completely dissolved
describe the buccal route of medication administration(4)
1) solid medication is placed against the mucous membranes of the cheek until it dissolves
2) can act locally on the mucosa or systemically because it is swallowed in the persons saliva
3) alternating cheeks can avoid mucosal irritation
4) pts should not chew/swallow the medication or take it with liquids
describe parenteral medication administration
injection of medicine into body tissues
what are the four major sites of parenteral administration?
1) intradermal (ID)
2) subcutaneous
3) intramuscular (IM)
4) Intravenously (IV)
describe intradermal (ID) medication administration
injection into the dermis just under the epidermis
e.g. TB test/PPD
describe the subcutaneous medication administration
injection into the tissue just below the dermis
describe intramuscular (IM) medication administration
injection into the muscle
describe IV medication administration
injection into a vein
whether or not you administer a medication, you are responsible for…(3)
1) monitoring the integrity of the medicine delivery system
2) understanding the therapeutic value of the medicine
3) evaluating the patients response to the therapy