Medications and legalities

Question 1

Define medications

Answer 1

= a medication is a substance used in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, relief or prevention of health. alterations

Question 2

What is the quality of use of medicines (QUM)

Answer 2

Wise: ensuring the best possible plan is chosen

Necessary: ensuring that when medicines are needed they are carefully selected, managed, monitored and reviewed

Safe and effectiveL minimising misuse, overuse and underuse of medicines while ensuring that medicines achieve the goals

Question 3

RN’s role in medication team

Answer 3

• when administering they are accountable for knowing the med prescribed, their therapeutic and non-therapeutic effects and the patients need for medication
• provide education to patient and family about meds
• assess patients need for medication
• correctly administers medication

Question 4

difference between pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics

Answer 4

pharmacokinetics = the study of how a medication enters the body, moves though the body and ultimately leaves the body

Pharmacodynamics = the process in which medication interacts with the body’s cells to produce biological response

Question 5

Define side effects

Answer 5

= are predictable but unwanted and sometimes unavoidable reactions to medication

Question 6

Adverse effects

Answer 6

= are severe, unintended, unwanted and often unpredictable drug reactions

Question 7

toxic effects

Answer 7

= result from medication overdose or build up of mediation in the blood due to impaired metabolism and excretion

Question 8

allergic reactions

Answer 8

= are unpredictable immune responses to medications and interactions

Question 9

adverse drug reaction

Answer 9

= harmful unintended reaction to medicines that occur at doses normally used for treatment

Question 10

medication interactions

Answer 10

= occur when the drug action is modified by the presence of a certain food or herb or another medication.

Question 11

antagonism

Answer 11

= occurs when the drug effect is decreased by taking the drug with another substance.

Question 12

What are three routes of administration

Answer 12

1. Oral - sublingual, buccal, oral
2. Parenteral - subcutaneous, intradermal, intravenous, intramuscular, epidural, intrathecal, intraosseous
3. Topical - skin, mucous membranes, inhalation

Question 13

sublingual medication

Answer 13

• Place medication under tongue until tablet dissolves.

* Blood vessels under the tongue are very close to the surface

Question 14

enteric coated medication

Answer 14

• Tablet for oral use coated with material that doesn’t dissolve until the intestine

Question 15

buccal medication

Answer 15

• place between cheek and teeth until dissolved

Question 16

Legal/valid orders requirements

Answer 16

Prior to administering a medication you must check if the medication order meets the legal requirements

• Signed by prescriber and date of order documented or for Emr entered (legible writing and black pen
• Full name of recipient (medical record number), medication, dosage, route and frequency
• Instructions for adequate use

• Detail the number of times the drug may be dispensed or the time between repeated administrations
MEDICATION ERRORS

Question 17

What is a medication error?

Answer 17

= any event that could cause or lead to incorrect administration according to the prescribers orders as when written on the clients chart

Question 18

List preventable errors

Answer 18

• Using the incorrect drug
• Prescribing errors
• Administration errors
• Incorrect dose

Question 19

What are the 5 rights of medication administration?

Answer 19

1. right medication
   
   • when selecting, removing, returning
2. Right dose
3. right patient
4. right route
5. right frequency

Question 20

when are the three checks

Answer 20

5 rights are performed 3 times

1. Prior to dispensing the medication
2. After dispensing the medication
3. Immediately prior to administering medication to patient

Question 21

documentation

Answer 21

• Reasons for not administrating
• Reporting errors
• Recording adverse drug reaction
• Knowing the correct abbreviations

Question 22

Scheduled drugs?

Answer 22

Scheduled drugs - medicine and poison that are in a classification system that the public can gain access to

Question 23

what are S4 drugs?

Answer 23

• medication can be acquired by strictly prescription only as these drugs are a restricted substance.
• These medications MUST be stored strictly in a locked, secure cabinet which is attached to the floor or wall of the premises

Question 24

What are S8 drugs?

Answer 24

= are controlled drugs as these are drugs of addiction.

• kept in a locked cabinet attached to the wall of the premises - different compartment to the S4 drugs as they need to be kept separate
• The nurses need two keys to be able to access these medications.
• Two nurses must be present when the cabinet is unlocked and witness the administration.
• There is an inventory record which is used to document each time a controlled drug is taken from the cabinet

Question 25

Consent in nursing

Answer 25

= to authorise, approve or permit

• procedures, intervention and treatment
• pt decision

Without consent: touching a pt is battery

• Legal requirement to gain consent PRRIOR to commencing treatment or procedure

Question 26

Why is consent important

Answer 26

= area of civil law

• assault, battery, false impriosment