Week 1 Flashcards
Pharmacology
Study of medicine
What are the 3 names given to drugs
- Generic
- Trade
- Chemical
Which class of controlled substances are considered highest risk of abuse potential
Class 1
Allergic reaction
-Non life threatening
Anaphylactic reaction
-Life threatening
5 Rights of medication administration
- Right drug
- Right dose
- Right route
- Right patient
- Right time
Time frames for drugs
- STAT: within 5 min
- ASAP: within 30 min
- Routine: within 2 hrs
- Standing order: usually a PRN order
Drug-Administration Procedures
- Drug orders must be reviewed by the attending physician within specific time frames, at least every 7 days (inpatient facility)
- Drugs may need to be administered during or between meals, depending on interaction with food
- Be aware of side effects of drugs that are best taken in the morning versus everning
Routes of administration for medications
- Enteral
- Topical
- Parenteral
Enteral route (enter the stomach)
- Lowest bioavailability
- By mouth: tablets, capsules, sublingual, and buccal
- Nasogastric tube or gastrostomy
- Tablets and capsules most common form of drugs
Sustained-release tablets or capsules
- Designed to dissolve very slowly
- Created to increase compliance by reducing frequency and dosage
Oral Drugs
- Drug absorbed
- Enters the hepatic circulation, goes to liver
- Drug is metabolized to inactive form
- Drug conjugates and leaves liver
- Drug is distributed to general circulation
- Many drugs rendered inactive by first-pass effect
Sublingual and Buccal drug administration
- Give all oral meds then these
- Tablet is kept in mouth
- Sublingual medication is placed under the tongue and allowed to dissolve slowly
NG & GT drug administration
- NG tube is short-term tx
- GT tube is long-term tx
- Both methods generally use liquid drugs
Topical drugs
-Applied to the skin or mucous membranes
-Applied to the skin is the most common
Instillations and irrigations are applied into body cavities or orifices
-Inhalations are applied to the respiratory tract by inhalers, nebulizers, or positive pressure breathing
-Intended for local effect
-Fewer side effects
Transdermal delivery system
- Patches provide effective means of delivering some medications
- Rate of delivery and dose may vary
- Avoids first-pass effect of liver and enzymes
- Full documentation by nurses applies
Ophthalmic Administration
-Used to treat local conditions of the eye and surrounding structures
Otic Administration
- Used to treat local conditions of the ear, including infections and soft blockages of the auditory canal
- Eardrops, irrigations
- Usually used for cleaning purposes
Nasal Administration
- For both local and systemic administration
- Ease of use, avoids first-pass effect and digestive enzymes
- Mucosal irritation common; potential for damage
- Often used for local astringent effect- shrinking swollen mucous membranes or loosen secretions and facilitate drainage
Vaginal Administration
- Treat local infections and to relieve vaginal pain and itching
- Suppositories, creams, jellies, or foams
- Nurse must explain the purpose of tx and provide for privacy and patient dignity
Rectal Administration
- Local or systemic administration
- Usually suppository form, but sometimes administered as enema
- First-pass effect and digestive enzymes avoided
Parenteral drug administration
- Administered via needle
- Types: intradermal, subQ, IM, IV
- Require aseptic technique
- Must have knowledge of anatomical locations
- Must know correct equipment to use
- Must know procedure for disposing of hazardous equipment
Parenteral locations
- Intradermal: dermal layer of the skin
- SubQ: deepest layers of the skin
- IM: specific muscles
- IV: directly into the bloodstream
- Advanced parenteral delivery may be directly into body cavities or organs
Injection degrees of administration
Intradermal: 10-15
SubQ: 45
IM: 90
4 common IM injection sites
- Ventrogluteal
- Deltoid
- Dorsogluteal
- Vastus Lateralis
