Week 1 - Medication

Question 1

What is medicines?

Answer 1

• Medicines are substances that help our bodies – physically or mentally – to prevent, treat or cure diseases.

Question 2

Who is involved in medications?

Answer 2

• Doctors
• Pharmacists
• Dentists
• Allied health professionals
• Physiotherapist, dieticians, speech pathologists, occupational therapists)
• Nurses

Question 3

What are the different types of medicines?

Answer 3

• Prescription medicines - Antibiotics (e.g. Amoxicillin)
• Non-Prescription medicines - Paracetamol
• Vaccines - Influenza, Covid-19, Hepatitis B, Polio, Diptheria, Tetanus, Whooping Cough
• Biological medicines - Insulin e.g. Optisulin® (glargine insulin) and Toujeo (glargine insulin)

Question 4

What is the difference between generic and brand name medicines?

Answer 4

• Generic versus Brand name medicines - Paracetamol instead of Panamax or Panadol
• Generic and brand name medication are the same thing
• Same dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, performance characteristics, and intended use.
• Generic brands are cheaper

Question 5

What is 1 to 5 for Poison Schedule?

Answer 5

• 1 - Blank - Not currently in use
• 2 - Pharmacy medicine
• 3 - Pharmacist only medicine
• 4 - Prescription only medicine
• 4 R/D - Subset of prescription only medicines
• 5 - Caution (commonly used for domestic purposes e.g. acetone)

Question 6

What is 6 to 10 for Poison Schedule?

Answer 6

• 6 - Poison (substances used in agricultural, industry, photography eg rodent baits)
• 7 - Dangerous poison (eg arsenic)
• 8 - Controlled drug (eg morphine)
• 9 - Prohibited substances (eg heroin)
• 10 - Substances of such danger to health at to warrant
  prohibition of supply and use (e.g. lead)

Question 7

Who can prescribe medications?

Answer 7

• Prescriptions are a legal document
• ONLY doctors, dentists, optometrists, nurse practitioners and midwife practitioners.

Question 8

How can we know a prescription is a valid medication order?

Answer 8

• Date
• Full patient name
• DOB
• URN/MRN (if inpatient)
• Drug generic name (active ingredient)
• Dose
• Route
• Frequency
• Prescriber signature
• Prescriber name
• Contact number

Question 9

What are the different types of medication orders?

Answer 9

• Regular order
• Stat order – give immediately and only once
• PRN order – ‘as needed’; the nurse uses good judgment about
  whether the medication is needed & when it can be safely administered.
• Single order – one-time order, at the specified time
• Standing order – permits nurses to administer medication in certain circumstances without a prior written order; protocols in place; must be signed by MO within 24hrs
• Emergency telephone (electronic/facsimile) order

Question 10

What are the different medication names?

Answer 10

• Generic name - Active ingredient and Often a chemical name
• Trade name - Brand name and used for marketing
• The Generic name is required on all prescriptions
• Generic brands of medications are the same as the famous name brands, just cheaper for consumers

Question 11

What are the various factors which influences the type of
medication prescribed?

Answer 11

• Primary diagnosis & co-morbidities such as Parkinson’s Disease, breast cancer etc.
• Allergy status
• Current status - symptoms, signs
• Medication literacy and safety

Question 12

What is tall man lettering?

Answer 12

• Typographic technique:
• Using selective capitalisation
  to help make look-alike,
  Sound-alike (LASA) medicine
  Pairs easier to differentiate.

Question 13

What is the medicines framework?

Answer 13

• Legislation & policy
• Pharmacological knowledge
• Adopting best practice guidelines‘
• Rights’ & ‘checks’
• Administration techniques
• Clinical reasoning

Question 14

Why is legislation, policy and scope of practice important for nurses?

Answer 14

• Have an understanding of
  the laws that direct, define
  and limit your scope of
  practice and professional
  responsibilities.
• Recognise the limits to
  your knowledge & skills.

Question 15

What are the best practice approaches?

Answer 15

• Use plain English, write clearly
• Use plain words or numbers,
• Use a leading zero in front of a decimal point for a dose less than 1
• No trailing zeros in decimals
• Use 24 hour time
• Use safe terms, abbreviations

Question 16

What is Pharmacodynamics

Answer 16

How the drug affects the body

Question 17

What is Pharmacokinetics?

Answer 17

The study of the movement of drugs in the body: absorption, distribution, metabolism & excretion.

Question 18

What are the unintended effects of medicines?

Answer 18

• Side effects - Known or secondary reactions to the medication,
• e.g. nausea, dizziness, constipation
• Adverse effects - Unexpected or undesired effects of a medication,
• e.g. allergy, neutropenia

Question 19

What is Anaphylaxis?

Answer 19

• Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction which occurs immediately the drug is administered
• Presentation includes swelling in the mouth & tongue, acute respiratory distress, tachycardia & hypotension.

Question 20

What is the 6 rights of medication checks?

Answer 20

• Medication/Drug
• Dose
• Time
• Route
• Patient
• Documentation

Question 21

What is the 3 checks of medication?

Answer 21

• 1st check: On initial location of medication in patient medication drawer, drug trolley or medication room
• 2nd check: At the time of preparing the medication
• 3rd check: Before administering to the patient (and before putting the medication container away)