Medication Adminstration

Question 1

Generic vs. Trademark drugs

Answer 1

Generic - the name given to a drug when it becomes commercially available starts with a small letter
Trademark - name given to a drug manufactured by a specific company starts with a capital letter

Question 2

Drug info sheets include

Answer 2

Trade Name 
Generic Name
Chemical composition and strength
Usual dosage
Indications and contraindications 
Reported side effects

Question 3

Narcotics storage and info that must be recorded when given to a patient

Answer 3

Must be stored in a locked cupboard with a narcotic control book to document usage strict records must be kept
Documenting - full name of the pt, name of ordering physician, date and time of exact dosage administered and wastage dosage

Question 4

Controlled Drugs - who regulates them, how to recognize them

Answer 4

Food and Drug Act regulates narcotic drugs that are potentially addictive and may have a potential of abuse - controlled drugs
They are recognized by a C with a circle around it
The lower the number the higher potential for addiction (scale of 1-5)

Question 5

Pharmacokinetics

Answer 5

Study of how drugs enter the body, are absorbed, distributed, metabolized and exit the body (excretion)

Question 6

Absorption of Drugs, what it depends on

Oral drugs

Answer 6

Absorption - a process by which a drug enters systemic circulation in order to provide a desired effect
Depends on - SA, blood flow, concentration drugs in solution move from area of high concentration to low concentration, compatibility some drugs interact with other drugs to form insoluble precipitates (no absorption happens)
Oral Drugs - are absorbed in the small intestine by the mucosal lining, those in a liquid form are processed more quickly than tablets or capsules, and are often given in larger doses

Question 7

Distribution of Drugs - what is it and 3 factors

Answer 7

How the drugs travels through the blood stream and outwards to the target tissue and site of action

1. Regional blood flow - the amount of blood supplied to that organ/area
2. Cardiac output- amount of blood pumped by the heart per minute
3. Drug reservoirs- drug accumulates that are bound to specific sites such as fat/bone tissue and plasma. Drugs must cross barriers to be effective

Question 8

Metabolism of drugs - what is it, factors that affect it

Answer 8

Chemically changes a drug into a metabolite that can be excreted by the body
We do not want drug effects to be permanent
Primarily the responsibility of the liver (Kinsey’s, lungs, plasma, intestinal mucosa play a role too)
Factors that affect it - age, overall health, time of day, emotional status and mental health, presence of other drugs in the body, genetic variations and disease processes/states

Question 9

Excretion - where it takes place

Answer 9

Takes place mainly by the kidneys which can only excrete water soluble substances
Route depends on the chemical make up of the drug
Other sites of excretion are the billary tract and feces

Question 10

1. Therapeutic effect
2. Side effect
3. Idiosyncratic effect
4. Adverse effect
5. Toxic reaction

Answer 10

1. Prescription or over the counter medication used to treat injury or illness
2. Unwanted effect, but expected
3. An abnormal reaction to a drug
4. Any undesirable or unwanted consequence, not expected
5. Dangerous reaction caused by allergy or other response

Question 11

6. Nephrotoxic effect
7. Dependency reaction
8. Withdrawal reaction
9. Teratogenic effect
10. Carcinogenic effect

Answer 11

6. Damage to the kidney tissue due to drug toxicity
7. A psychic craving for a drug that may be or may not be accompanied by a physiological dependency
8. A group of symptoms experienced by an addict who is deprived of the addicting agent
9. Causing a congenital anomalies or birth defects
10. Substance or organism that is know to (potentially) cause cancer

Question 12

Intent of drug therapy

Answer 12

Control pain, cure disease, alleviate symptoms of a disease, diagnose a disease (processes of elmination by seeing which drugs help or don’t)

Question 13

Charting Medications

- following info must be entered into a pt’s chart

Answer 13

Contrast agents name and strength
Volume administered
Route of administration
Date and time of administration 
Signature or approved ID

Question 14

Standing Oder - what is it and considerations for continuing

Answer 14

A specific medication given under certain conditions
Are reviewed on a regular basis by the department and those administering the medication (nurse or Dr.)
Consider - drug effect, dosage, when the drug should be given, condition of the pt

Question 15

6 rights of drug administration

Answer 15

Right dose
Of the right meds
To the right person
At the right time 
By the right route 
With the right documentation

Question 16

Topical Drug Administration

Answer 16

Refers to application of meds to the surface of the skin
Some are applied for a localized effect others are transdermal applied in paste form and the meds are more widely distributed

Question 17

Enteral Drug Administration

- 2 routes

Answer 17

Applies to med administered directly into the GI tract via oral or rectal route
Oral is most common
Used for large dose when slower absorption and longer duration of drug activity are required
Rectal - dose is unreliable, placed directly into the rectum, given when the pt is nauseated or can’t take oral meds

Question 18

Sublingual or Buccal Drug Administration

Answer 18

These are absorbed into the blood through the oral mucosa
Effects are immediate availed w/o being absorbed through the stomach
Sublingual - placed under the tongue
Buccal - placed inside the cheek
considered topical routes b/c med comes into contact with mucosal membranes of the oral cavity

Question 19

Parenteral drug administration

- 7 types

Answer 19

Injections are injected directly into the body and bypass the GI tract
Intravenous, Intradermal, subcutaneous, intramuscular, intra-arterial, intrahepatic and intra-articular

Question 20

Intravenous Drug Administration

Answer 20

Injected directly into a vein
Most immediate result
An invasive procedure - informed consent required
Requires surgical aseptic technique

Question 21

Intradermal Drug Administration

Answer 21

B/w the layer of the skin
Small quantities and small needle injected at 15-30 degree angle
- TB test

Question 22

Subcutaneous Drug Administration

Answer 22

Injected under the skin below the epidermis
Injected at a 45 degree angle using a 23-25g needle
Painful for the patient
Done on upper arm or outer thigh

Question 23

Intramuscular Drug Administration

Answer 23

Injected into the muscle tissue 
Larger amounts can be given b/c muscle tissue absorb some meds
Deltoid or gluteal muscles 
Pain in muscle can last for days
Slower release

Question 24

Intra-arterial Drug Administration

Answer 24

Injected directly into a artery

Used to achieve a high local concentration of drug for pain relief or treatment of neoplasms

Question 25

Intrathecal and intra-articular Drug Administration

Answer 25

Intrathecal - injection into the spinal subarachnoid space past the BBB directly were CSF is
Intra-articular - injected within a joint directly (corticosteroid to treat arthritis)