Patient Care 2: Midterm Flashcards
As a radiographer, basic knowledge of the following is important (referring to pharmaceuticals)
- safe dosage and routes of administration
- limitations of the medications
- side effects
- potential adverse reactions and toxic reactions
- indications and contraindications for their use
What is the generic name of a drug?
The name given to a drug when it becomes commercially available (derived from more complex chemical name)
-starts with small letter
What is the trade/brand name of a drug?
- the name given to a drug manufactured by a specific company
- starts with a CAPITAL
What information do drug information sheets include?
- trade name
- generic name
- chemical composition
- chemical strength
- usual dosage
- indications and contraindications
- reported side effects
The regulation of medications is governed in Canada under the ____?
Food and drug act
What governs the utilization and control of all narcotic drugs?
The Canadian Narcotic Control Act
What symbol represents narcotics? Controlled drugs?
- N
- C with a circle around it
What is the difference between a narcotic and a controlled drug?
Narcotic: a drug with addictive qualities
Controlled drug: a drug that is potentially addictive and has the potential for abuse
Where is the usage of narcotics documented and what information must be included when giving a narcotic to a patient?
- the “Narcotic Control” book
- full name of patient
- name of ordering physician
- date
- time
- exact dosage administered
- wastage dosage
How do the 5 different controlled substance schedules work?
The lower the number, the higher addiction potential
People process drugs based on what?
- age, sex, and nutritional status
- physical condition and body weight
- immune status, existing pathological conditions
- ethnicity
- time of day, state of mind
- environmental conditions
Describe the 4 main aspects of pharmacokinetics
- Absorption: process by which a drug enters systemic circulation in order to provide and desired effect
- Distribution: how the drug travels through the bloodstream outwards to the target tissue and site of action
- Metabolism: chemically changes the drug into a metabolite that can be excreted
- Excretion: leaves body
To be absorbed, a drug must be _________?
Made up of the same components as those at its intended absorption site
Absorption can depend on?
- Surface area
- Blood flow
- Concentration (high to low)
- Compatibility: some drugs react with others to form un-absorbable precipitates
What is the first pass effect?
The partial metabolism of a drug before it reaches systemic circulation.
Describe the 3 factors that affect distribution
- Regional blood flow: amount of blood supplied to the organ/area
- Cardiac Output: amount of blood pumped by the heart per minute
- Drug Reservoirs: drug accumulations that are bound to specific sites, drugs must cross barriers to be effective
What is another word for metabolism?
Biotransformation
What organ is primarily responsible for metabolism?
The liver
2 types of chemical reactions of drugs
- Oxidation, hydrolysis, or reduction: gain an electron
2. Conjugation: transforms a drug into a lipid
6 factors affecting metabolism
- Age
- Overall health/nutrition
- Time of day
- Emotional status and mental health
- Presence of other drugs in the body
- Genetic variations and disease processes/states
Where does excretion mainly take place? What does the excretion route depend on?
The kidneys which can only excrete water-soluble substances. The excretion route depends on the chemical makeup of the drug
What is the blood brain barrier and what does it have to do with pharmaceuticals?
It is a selective mechanism opposing the passage of certain things into the brain. Some medications won’t be able to pass and therefore will not be effective on the brain.
10 effects of medications
- Therapeutic effect: prescription/OVC meds used to treat injury or illness
- Side effects: unwanted, but expected effects
- Idiosyncratic effect: abnormal reaction
- Adverse effect: unwanted, but unexpected effects
- Toxic reaction: dangerous reaction caused by allergy
- Nephrotoxic reaction: damage to kidney tissues due to drug toxicity
- Dependency reaction: OVC meds, psychic craving
- Withdrawal reaction: symptoms involved with an addict who is deprived of addicting agent
- Teratogenic effect: causing congenital anomalies, birth defects
- Carcinogenic effect: causing cancer (potentially)
Intents of drug therapy
- Control pain
- Cure disease
- Alleviate symptoms of a disease
- Diagnose a disease
What is a drug receptor?
The target area for which a drug is intended
Charting medications: what must be charted?
- Contrast agent’s name and strength
- Volume administered
- Route of administration
- Date and time of administration
- Signature or approved identification
3 types of medication orders
- Stat: immediately
- PRN: as needed, patient controlled
- Standing: specific meds given under certain conditions (ex. After a biopsy)
Standing orders consider?
- Effects of the drug
- Dosage of the drug
- When the drug should be given (post-procedure)
- Condition of the patient
6 Rights of Drug Administration
- Right dose
- Right medication
- Right patient
- Right time
- Right route
- Right documentation
Routes of administration
- Topical: Surface of skin, for local effect or transdermal
- Enteral: directly into GI tract via oral or rectal, rectal dosage in unreliable, oral most common
- Sublingual: variation of topical, not considered oral because not absorbed in stomach, but through oral mucosa
- Parenteral: injected directly to bypass GI tract
Types of parenteral injections
- Intravenous: into vein, most immediate result, invasive procedure, requires consent
- Intradermal: between layers of skin
- Subcutaneous: under skin below epidermis, painful
- Intramuscular: into muscle tissue, larger amounts can be given, pain last for days, slower release
- Intra-arterial: into an artery, achieve high local concentration of a drug for pain relief
- Intrathecal: into spinal canal, past BBB
- Intra-articular: into joint
Difference between medical and surgical asepsis?
Medical asepsis: eliminates/reduces number of microorganisms
Surgical asepsis: completely destroys microorganisms and their spores
Microbes are most commonly spread by ________?
Human hands
When to wash your hands
- before and after handling supplies
- before and after patient contact
- before and after wearing gloves
- before and after completing an invasive procedure
- before and after eating
- after using the restroom
- start and end of shift
Benefits of alcohol-based hand rubs
- more accessible
- quicker
- more effective at reducing nosocomial infections
- less irritating to skin
When to use alcohol-based hand rubs?
- before and after contact with patient
- before donning gloves
- after removing gloves
- after contact with inanimate objects
3 important reasons gloves are worn?
- provide protective barrier from contamination of hands
- reduce risk of transmitting microorganisms from worker to patient
- reduce risk of transmitting microorganisms from patient to patient
What is a nosocomial infection? What is the most common site of a nosocomial infection?
A hospital acquired infection.
Most common site: urinary tract due to catheters
What are standard precautions? What do they apply to?
- designed to reduce the risk of transmission of unrecognized sources of blood-borne and other pathogens in healthcare institutions
- blood, bodily fluids, secretion/excretions (except sweat), non-intact skin, mucous membranes
What are transmission-based precautions? Types?
Used when isolating patients in addition to standard precautions.
- Airborne
- Droplet
- Contact
For infections to be transmitted there must be?
- an infectious agent
- and environment in which pathogenic microbes can live and multiply (reservoir)
- a port of exit from the reservoir
- a means of transmission
- a port of entry into a new host
Standard precaution practices
- hand washing
- gloves
- PPE
- proper handling of soiled patient care equipment
- proper environmental equipment
- minimal handling of soiled linen
- proper disposal of sharps
- used of private rooms/isolation