Medication Administration Flashcards
Ionization
pH of the med and site of absorption
Dissolution
Med has to dissolve before absorption takes place
orally disintegrating tablets
readily dissolve when placed on tongue
Is ionized or non-ionized absorbed faster?
Non-ionized is absorbed faster - they can cross the cell membrane by diffusion because they aren’t charged.
Aspirin is non-ionized in the acidic stomach, but becomes ionized (weak base) in the alkaline small intestine for slower absorption
Do high lipid soluble or low lipid soluble meds absorb faster?
highly lipid soluble because lipids acts as carriers that can more easily pass phospholipid bilayers
Iatrogenic
unforeseen or unintended harm from a med or procedure
Steven-Johnson Syndrome
Severe adverse reaction to a medication
Developes 1-14 days post med
resp distress, fever, chills, diffuse rash, followed by blisters
Drug-food interactions
Effects of nutrients on the absorption, distribution, metabolism or excretion of medications.
STAT medications
Medications that are required to be given immediately - within 30 minutes of the order
for emergencies
PRN
As needed. medications given as required for specific conditions or issues, such as pain, nausea, etc.
Urgent, now, or ASAP medications
administered within 30 minutes to 1 hour after the health care provider’s order.
Single prescriptions
Single prescriptions are one-time doses, such as those seen with preoperative medications.
Time-critical meds
Medications that should be given within either 30 minutes before or after the scheduled administration time.
Non-time-critical meds
Medications that can be administered between 1 to 2 hours before or after the scheduled time without causing harm or resulting in substandard pharmacologic effects to the client.
3 types of time-critical meds
- Medications scheduled to be administered routinely less than 4 hours apart
- Medications that are required to be given separately from other medications
- Medications that are administered around mealtimes, such as antidiabetic medication
Which “rights” should the nurse verify 3x before giving a med?
right patient, right medication, right dose, right route of administration, and right time.
When is medication reconciliation performed?
Medication reconciliation is performed upon admission; whenever the client transitions from one level of care to another, both within the facility (e.g., from the intensive care unit [ICU] to the general medical–surgical unit) or from one health care facility to another (e.g., a client transferred from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility); and when the client is discharged home from a facility.
What is involved in med reconciliation?
reviewing the client’s current medications, comparing them to the newly prescribed medications, and addressing omissions, duplications, interactions, and discrepancies.
The nurse considers any potential drug–drug interactions. All types of medications, including over-the-counter (OTC) medications and herbal supplements, should be included in the reconciliation process, as there may be a potential risk for interactions with newly prescribed medications.
Three factors reported by nurses as contributing to medication errors:
identification, interruption, and correction.
When should you assess the patient after med admin. for adverse effects and therapeutic effects?
30 min after
Unit dose medication
Prepared by the pharmacist for the client - just one dose in vial
3 categories of med administration
- Parenteral
- Enteral
- Topical
How often should an EFT be flushed?
Flush the tubing with 30 to 60 mL of water prior to and after administration of medications and to flush with 15 to 30 mL in between medications.
What problems can mixing a med into an enteral feeding formula cause?
Delayed medication absorption, drug–formula interactions, or precipitation of the medication.
What are Luer connectors?
connects syringes to tubing independent of the type of tubing (IV or enteral).
Beware! These increase risk of accidentally administering enteral meds or formula into an IV, or IV fluids/meds into the EFT.
What type of med admin is an inhaler?
topical through the resp tract
Describe procedure for administering ophthalmic meds.
- Strict aseptic technique to avoid contamination or infection.
- Ophthalmic solutions are instilled into the lower margin of the eyelid (conjunctival sac).
- After the nurse instills the eye drop(s) and the client closes the eye, the nurse places an index finger at the inner corner of the client’s eye (punctal occlusion prevents med from entering nasolacrimal duct), maintaining gentle pressure there for 30 to 60 seconds.
- Do not instill medication directly on the cornea, as this can cause the client pain, irritate the cornea, and increase the medication’s systemic effect
* Eye drop medications, such as beta-blockers and alpha agonists, can al
What types of meds can be administered intranasally?
nicotine (smoking cessation), calcitonin (osteoporosis), sumatriptan (migraines), and corticosteroids (allergies)
