Terminologies in Introduction to Pharmacology Flashcards
What is Pharmacology?
A study of drugs and their interaction with living things which encompasses the physical, and chemical properties, biochemical, and physiologic effects.
What is Clinical Pharmacology?
Study of drugs in human for patients and healthy volunteers.
What is Pharmacotherapeutics?
The use of drugs to diagnose, prevent or treat diseases.
Six Properties of an Ideal Drug
- Effectiveness - a drug that elicits the responses for which it is given.
- Safety - a drug that cannot produce harmful effects even if administered in very high doses and for a very long time.
- Selectivity - a drug that elicits only the response for which it is given.
- Reversible Action - a drug action that subsides within an appropriate time.
- Predictability - a drug that we can know with certainty how a given patient will respond.
- Ease of Administration - a drug that is given conveniently with a low needed dose.
10 Rights to Medication Administration
(Purpose: To ensure safety and prevent medication errors.)
- Right Client - Always ask the patient’s name, check an ID band, and check the medication bottles to compare before giving a medication.
- Right Route - Make sure the medication is given the right route.
- Right Time - Take or administer drugs to your patients at the right time or as for what’s in the doctor’s order.
- Right Drug - Check the pills and prescription carefully and compare the medication supply to the doctor’s orders to make sure it is the right one.
- Right Dose - Check the doctor’s orders to your supply of the medication on hand and accurately calculate the dosage yourself. Always be aware of the difference between pediatric dose and an adult dose.
- Right Documentation - Make sure to document the time and any remarks on the chart correctly as well as the injection sites (if applicable) and what was the medication that was given to the patient.
- Right to Client Education - Provide enough knowledge to the client of what drug he/she would be taking and what are the expected therapeutics and side effects.
- Right to Refuse - Give the client enough autonomy to refuse the medication after thoroughly explaining the effects.
- Right Assessment - Secure a copy of the client’s medical history or accurately assess the client.
- Right Evaluation - Make sure to check for drug allergies and interaction between different medications.
Three Ethical Consideration in Drug Administration
- Respect For Person/Autonomy - Treated as independent persons capable of making decisions in their own best interests, right to self-determination.
- Beneficence - Duty to protect research subjects from harm.
a. Informed consent - includes mutual sharing of information, expresses respect to persons, gains active involvement in care and respects the right to self-determination.
b. Risk benefit ratio - physical, psychological and social risks must be identified and weighed against the benefits. - Justice - Requires the selection of research subjects be fair.
Medication Prescriptions
- Standard Prescription - medications are given on a regular schedule with or without a termination date. Prescription will be in effect until the HCP discontinues the drug or the patient is discharged.
- Single Prescription - One-time prescription.
- Stat Prescription - given only once and given immediately.
- PRN (as needed) - Stipulates at what dosage, what frequency and condition a medication may be given.
- Standing Prescriptions - Written for specific circumstance.
Three Different Drug Names
- Chemical Name - Describe’s the drug’s chemical structure.
- Generic Name - Official, nonpropriety name, not owned by any company and universally accepted.
- Trade/Brand Name - Propriety name, chosen by the drug company and registered as trademark.
What is Over the Counter Drugs (OTC)?
- Drugs found to be safe and appropriate for use without direct supervision of the HCP.
- May be purchase without a prescription.
What are the Acronyms For Medication Administration?
AC (Ante Cibum) - Before meals
Bid (Bis in Die) - Twice a day
prn (Pro re naba) - As needed
q3n (quaque 3 nora) - Every three hours
qd (quaque die) - Every day
stat - Now
What is Patient Adherence?
Also known as compliance is defined as the extent to which a patient’s behavior coincides with medical advice.
Six Strategies to Improve Treatment Adherence
- Therapeutic Patient Education - written action plans, use of drawings, photographs, videos, etc.
- Simplifying Treatment Regimes - once-daily, combined pharmacological agents, tailored to patient’s preferences and lifestyle.
- Minimizing Treatment Costs - consider providing generics.
- Reminder Programs - emails, phone calls. text messages, smartphone, applications, etc.
- Early Follow-Up Visits and Short - Term Treatment Goals.
- Maximizing Placebo Effects and Minimizing Nocebo Effects.
Define Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics
Pharmacokinetics
- Derived from two greek words, Pharmakon (drug or poison) and kinesis (motion).
- Study of the movement of the drug throughout the body.
Pharmacodynamics
- Study of the effects of the drugs on the body.
- Drugs act within the body to mimic the actions of the body’s own chemical messengers.
Four Processes Includes in Pharmacokinetics
- Absorption - Transmission of medications from the location of administration to the bloodstream.
- Distribution - Transportation of medications to sites of action by bodily fluids.
- Metabolism/ Biotransformation - Changes medication into less active/inactive.
- Form by the action of enzymes.
- Occurs primarily in the liver, kidneys, lungs, bowel and blood. - Excretion - Elimination of drugs from the body.
- Mainly through the kidney but may also be through bile, lungs, saliva, sweat and breastmilk.
- Renal dysfunction may lead to an increase in duration and intensity of medication response.
First Pass Effect and Bioavailability
First Pass Effect
- First pass effect reduce the amount of active drug available to exert a pharmacologic effect.
Bioavailability
- Refers to the percentage of administered drug available for activity.
