Medical Assistant: Pharmacology

What is the DEA?

Drug Enforcement Agency

What is a narcotic?

Used to provide systemic pain control

What is anaphylactic shock?

an extreme, often life-threatening allergic reaction to an antigen to which the body has become hypersensitive.

What are the 6 rights?

1. Right medication

2. Right dose

3. Right patient

4. Right route/ method

5. Right time

6. Right documentation

How many times should you check to see if you have the correct medication?

three times

After medication is given to the patient, what should you do next?

wait and observe any patient reactions

What kind of area should you prepare medication in?

well lit

How do most errors occur when dealing with pharmacology?

wrong patient identification

wrong medication

wrong route

wrong amount

What are the five drug routes?

Oral

Inhalation

Topical

Rectal/ Vaginal

Injections

What are the three types of injections?

intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous

Which injection is injected into the deltoid, gluteus, and vastus lateralis?

intramuscular

Which injection is injected under the skin?

intradermal

Which injection is injected into the upper outer part of the arm-abdomen?

Subcutaneous

Which injection is administered at a 90-degree angle?

Intramuscular

Which injection is administered at a 45-degree angle?

Subcutaneous

Which injection is administered at a 10-15 degree angle?

Intradermal

What are some of the medical assistant's roles in pharmacology?

o Medication inventory

o Proper storage and security of meds

o Ordering

o Documentation

o Administration

What is the most common drug route?

oral

What is the most common form of inhalation?

oxygen

Which drug route is most commonly used for suppositories/ enemas, solutions or douches-creams?

Rectal/ Vaginal

Which drug route is used in testing diseases of the skin?

Topical

Which drug rote is absorbed through the digestive tract?

oral

What does sublingual mean?

under the tongue

What does buccal mean?

pertaining to the cheek

What is a subdermal implant?

thin capsule or rod of medication implanted under the skin

What does intraarticular mean?

into a joint

What is a lumbar puncture?

the procedure of taking fluid from the spine in the lower back through a hollow needle, usually done for diagnostic purposes.

What are the 5 parts of the syringe?

barrel, needle, plunger, Lumen, flange

Which part of the syringe holds the medicine?

barrel

Which part of the syringe is used for inserting medicine?

needle

Which part of the syringe is used to push the medicine that is inside of the barrel?

Plunger

Which part of the syringe is used to place your finger on?

Flange

How many tissue layers are there?

4

What are the four tissue layers?

o Intradermal

o Subcutaneous

o Intramuscular

o Intravenous

What are the benefits of immunizations?

protect against illnesses that can prove to be very serious

What are risks of immunizations?

the patient could have a reaction to the immunization

What kind of therapy is used on unconscious patients?

IV

What is IV therapy?

Administration of a liquid agent directly into a vein

What is the PDR?

Physician's Desk Reference (reference source containing the latest drug product information prepared by manufacturers.)

What is the normal gauge size of a subcutaneous injection?

27-28 g

What is the normal gauge size of an intramuscular injection?

18-23 g

What is the normal gauge size of an intradermal injection?

27-28 g

What is the parenteral route?

Drugs which are administered via a parenteral route bypass the gastrointestinal tract.

(Drugs administered this way may be given over a short (seconds to minutes) or extended (hours today's) period. These drugs are usually formulated as solutions but may also be emulsions or suspensions.)

What are all three intramuscular sites

Deltoid, Gluteus, Vastus Lateralis