Pharmacology Test Study Guide Flashcards
How do you calculate IV Fluid?
Total volume (in mL) divided by time (in min), multiplied by the drop factor (in gtts/mL)
How do you administer Oral medication by enteral tube route?
How do you apply topical medications?
What are the components of a valid drug order? What makes the order invalid?
What classifies as a medication error?
What do you do if you do a medication error?
How are medications supplied?
Explain how the Controlled Substances Act regulates the storage of, and accountability for, specific medications.
The DEA regulates the manufacture, prescription, and distribution of psychoactive medications, including narcotics, depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens.
There are five classifications, or “schedules,” of controlled substances. The degree of control depends on the medication’s actions, which range from: Schedule I (high potential for abuse) to Schedule V (relatively low potential for abuse).
What are the procedures for narcotics accountability?
What are narcotics responsibilities nurses are accountable for?
What do you do if patient is having issues understanding how to administer medications?
What are the routes for drug administration?
The different routes of administration of medications are:
Oral (administered by mouth)
Topical (applied to the skin or mucous membranes)
Inhalant (inhaled or breathed in)
Parenteral route
How can a nurse perform patient teaching on medication for a patient?
Differentiate between desired and undesired effects, and local and systemic medication effects.
- Therapeutic effect
- The medications desired effect; the medication produces the result for which it was given.
- Adverse effect
- A response that is not intended or desired.
- Some adverse effects are minor ( side effects ) and, although bothersome, can be ignored or treated easily.
- Constipation is an example of a side effect.
- Serious adverse effect
- Some side effects, such as respiratory depression or neurologic damage, are disabling or potentially fatal.
- Anaphylaxis
- The medication causes the client to experience a severe, immediately life threatening, allergic reaction ( anaphylaxis ) manifested by vasodilation, low blood pressure, and shock.
- Anaphylaxis is a medical emergency; it must be recognized and treated immediately.
- Medication toxicity
- A harmful, undesired effect resulting from an increased blood level of medication beyond its therapeutic level.
- Administering a medication in too large a dose or via the wrong route can lead to drug toxicity.
- In some cases, the client can also build up toxicity as a result of a disorder, such as inadequately functioning kidneys.
- Paradoxical effect
- This client’s response is opposite to that which is desired.
- For example, a client may become extremely agitated and restless in response to a sedative given for sleep.
- Paradoxical responses are most common in very young and elderly clients.
- Potentiation
- Two drugs may potentiate each other.
- The effects of the two medications together are greater than would be the two individually.
- Potentiation multiplies or enhances the effects of the drugs.
- This can become a very dangerous situation.
* Local effects of a medication are restricted to the area in which they are administered. Topical application (applied directly to the skin or mucous membranes) can cause a local effect . These may be applied to mucous membranes of the eye, mouth, nose, throat, or vagina by instillation, irrigation, swabbing, or spraying.
- Systemic effects spread throughout the body.
To achieve systemic effects , medications often are administered by transdermal application, mouth, or injection, although other methods, such as nasal inhalation, can also produce systemic effects
How do you administer sublingual medications?
