pharm pt 1 - Sheet1 Flashcards
What is a drug?
Any chemical that can affect living processes.
What is pharmacology?
The study of drugs and their interactions with living systems.
What is clinical pharmacology?
The study of drugs in humans.
What is therapeutics (pharmacotherapeutics)?
The use of drugs to diagnose, prevent, or treat disease, or to prevent pregnancy.
What are the top 3 characteristics of the ideal drug?
Effective, safe, and selective.
What does “selective” mean in terms of drug characteristics?
A drug only elicits the response for which it is given (e.g., BP meds).
Why is reversibility important in drug characteristics?
If given by mistake, the effects can be reversed.
What makes a drug predictable?
Knowing exactly what it will do.
Why is ease of administration important?
Simplifies use, often oral and infrequent doses are preferred.
How should an ideal drug interact with other medications or food?
It should have no interactions.
What are other characteristics of an ideal drug?
Low cost, chemical stability, simple generic name, rapid predictable response, and quick elimination.
What factors affect the intensity of drug responses?
Administration, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and individual variations.
What are the four components of pharmacokinetics?
Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.
What is pharmacodynamics?
The impact of the drug on the body.
What are examples of individual variations that affect drug responses?
Physiologic (age, weight, BSA), pathologic (kidney, liver issues), genetics, diet, and tolerance.
What is pharmacogenomics?
The study of how genetics influence drug responses.
How does starvation affect drug responses?
Lack of protein for binding reduces drug transport in the body.
What are the types of tolerance?
Pharmacodynamic, metabolic, and tachyphylaxis.
What is the placebo effect?
A response to a treatment that is not due to its therapeutic effect but the patient’s belief in the treatment.
What are the Five Rights of Drug Administration (PMART)?
Right patient, drug (med), dose (amount), route, and time.
What additional rights do nurses need to ensure?
Right assessment, documentation, evaluation, patient education, and patient refusal.
Why is understanding pharmacology critical in nursing practice?
To prevent med errors, understand drug interactions, and administer drugs safely and effectively.
What are the steps in patient care application of pharmacology?
Preadministration assessment, dosage and administration, promoting therapeutic effects, minimizing adverse effects, and managing toxicity.
What patient education topics are critical for medication?
Drug name/category, dosage, schedule, route, expected response, treatment duration, storage, adverse effects, and interactions.
