Application of the Nursing Process, Pharmacology Principles, and Medication Administration

Comprehensive vocabulary review flashcards covering drug regulation, nomenclature, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, routes of administration, and the application of the nursing process in medication therapy.

Pharmacology

The study of the biological effects of chemicals.

Pharmacotherapeutics

The use of drugs to treat, prevent, and diagnose disease.

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (1938)

Legislation providing authority for toxicity testing, drug recall, and legal enforcement by the FDA.

Kefauver-Harris Act (1962)

Legislation that gave the FDA regulatory control of testing, mandating that both drug safety and efficacy must be established prior to marketing.

Orphan Drug Act (1983)

Legislation providing financial incentives to pharmaceutical companies to develop medications for rare diseases.

Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (1994)

Federal legislation setting labeling requirements for dietary supplements and classifying them legally as 'food.'

Preclinical Trials

Testing of chemicals with potential therapeutic value on non-human subjects to evaluate their desired effects and adverse reactions.

Phase I Clinical Studies

Drug evaluation phase conducted on healthy human volunteers to determine safety and dosing parameters.

Phase II Clinical Studies

Clinical trial stage in which a drug is tested on human patients who have the specific disease the drug is intended to treat.

Phase III Clinical Studies

Testing conducted on a large sample of patients with the target disease to determine clinical benefit and monitor side effects.

Phase IV Studies

Post-marketing surveillance and continued evaluation of a drug after receiving FDA approval.

Off-Label Drug Use

Using an FDA-approved drug for a known therapeutic effect that is different from the specific indication for which it was originally tested and approved.

Therapeutic Drug Class

A broad classification method based on what clinical condition the drug is used to treat (e.g., antihypertensives).

Pharmacological Drug Class

A specific classification based on how the drug functions and its physiological mechanism of action in the body (e.g., beta blockers, ACE inhibitors).

Chemical Drug Name

A scientific designation describing the precise atomic and molecular structure of a drug (e.g., N-(4-hydroxyphenyl) ethanamide).

Generic Drug Name

The official non-proprietary name assigned to a drug during the regulatory approval process (e.g., acetaminophen).

Brand (Trade) Name

The proprietary commercial name given to a drug by the pharmaceutical company that manufactures and markets it (e.g., Tylenol, Infant's FeverAll).

Bioequivalent

The legal requirement that generic drug formulations achieve the same rate and extent of active ingredient absorption as the brand-name counterpart.

Schedule I Controlled Substances

Substances with high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use in the United States (e.g., heroin, LSD, cocaine).

Schedule II Controlled Substances

Drugs with a high potential for abuse and severe risk of dependence, but with recognized medical uses (e.g., oxycodone, Vicodin, Adderall).

Schedule III Controlled Substances

Drugs with less abuse potential than Schedule II and a moderate risk for psychological or physical dependence (e.g., ketamine, Tylenol with codeine, testosterone).

Schedule IV Controlled Substances

Drugs that demonstrate a low potential for abuse and a low risk for dependence (e.g., Xanax, Valium, tramadol).

Schedule V Controlled Substances

Medications that have limited potential for abuse, often containing limited quantities of certain narcotics (e.g., Robitussin AC, Lyrica).

Teratogen

Any substance capable of producing adverse effects, defects, or developmental anomalies in an embryo or fetus during all phases of development in the womb.

Polypharmacy

The simultaneous concurrent use of multiple medications by a patient for one or more medical conditions.

Drug Incompatibility

A condition in which medications interfere with one another chemically or physiologically, preventing them from being safely mixed in solution or co-administered.

Drug Dependency

Physical or psychological symptoms and adaptations that lead a patient to compulsively crave or require continued administration of a chemical substance.

Drug Tolerance

A physiological condition in which the body adapts to repeated drug exposure, requiring higher doses to achieve the initial therapeutic effect.

Carcinogenic

The property or potential of a chemical substance to induce cancer or malignant neoplasms.

Prototype Drug

An individual, representative agent chosen as an exemplar of an entire drug class to which all other members are compared.

Bioavailability

The fraction or proportion of an administered dose of unchanged drug that gains access to systemic circulation and is available to produce a therapeutic effect.

Relative Contraindication

A clinical circumstance or condition where caution must be exercised when treatments are used together because risks may outweigh benefits, but treatment is not strictly prohibited.

Absolute Contraindication

A clinical circumstance or medical condition where an event or substance could cause a life-threatening situation and the medication or procedure must strictly be avoided.

Pharmacokinetics

The study of the movement of drugs through the body, comprising absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.

Absorption

The movement of a drug from its site of administration across biological membranes into the bloodstream.

Distribution

The transfer and transport of drugs within body fluids to various tissues, organs, and target sites.

Metabolism (Biotransformation)

The chemical conversion and inactivation of a drug into a more water-soluble compound that can be excreted, primarily occurring in the liver.

First-Pass Effect

The extensive metabolism of orally administered medications within the liver prior to reaching systemic circulation and target tissues.

Excretion

The process by which drugs and their metabolites are removed from the site of action and eliminated from the body, primarily via the kidneys.

Onset of Action

The time required after drug administration for plasma concentrations to reach the minimum effective concentration.

Peak Action

The point in time when the blood concentration of an administered drug reaches its highest therapeutic level.

Duration of Action

The total length of time that a medication maintains adequate concentration to produce a pharmacological effect.

Therapeutic Range

The plasma drug concentration span that safely produces a desired therapeutic effect with the lowest likelihood of adverse effects or toxicity.

Therapeutic Index

A quantitative ratio comparing the drug concentration at which a drug becomes toxic to the concentration at which it produces an effective response.

Trough Level

A laboratory blood sample drawn immediately prior to the administration of the next scheduled drug dose, when circulating drug concentration is lowest.

Biological Half-Life

The time required for the body to eliminate $50\%$ of an administered drug concentration from circulation.

Pharmacodynamics

The study of the biochemical and physiological interactions of drugs and the mechanisms by which they achieve their therapeutic effects at cellular receptor sites.

Drug Agonist

A drug that binds to and activates a specific cellular receptor to initiate an intended physiological or therapeutic response.

Drug Antagonist

A drug that binds to a specific receptor site without activating it, competing with endogenous ligands or other molecules to block an action.

Partial Agonist (Agonist-Antagonist)

A drug that acts as an agonist at certain receptor subtypes while functioning as an antagonist at others.

Efficacy

The maximum capability or ability of an administered drug to produce a desired therapeutic result.

Potency

The amount or dose of a drug required to produce a specific degree of therapeutic effect.

Idiosyncratic Reaction

An unexpected, uncommon, and unpredictable personal response to a drug that is unrelated to its known pharmacological action.

Cumulative Drug Effect

The progressive accumulation and heightened response to repeated drug doses that occurs when administration exceeds the rate of metabolism or excretion.

Synergistic Drug Interaction

A pharmacodynamic interaction occurring when two or more drugs given together produce a combined clinical effect greater than the sum of their individual effects.

Antagonistic Drug Interaction

An interaction where one drug opposes, diminishes, or cancels out the therapeutic effect of another drug.

Three Checks of Medication Administration

A nursing safety practice requiring verification of the medication label against the MAR: (1) before mixing, drawing up, or pouring; (2) after preparing the medication; and (3) at the bedside prior to administration.

Sublingual Administration

Route of administration wherein a tablet is placed under the tongue to dissolve and absorb directly into systemic capillaries.

Buccal Administration

Route of medication administration in which a drug is placed between the cheek and gum until it dissolves.

Intramuscular (IM) Injection Parameters

Parenteral technique administered at a $90^\circ$ angle into muscles (e.g., deltoid, vastus lateralis, ventrogluteal) using a 21–23 gauge needle of $1\text{ in}$ to $2+\text{ in}$ length.

Subcutaneous (subQ) Injection Parameters

Parenteral injection administered at a $45^\circ$ to $90^\circ$ angle into subcutaneous fat using a 25–27 gauge needle that is $3/8\text{ to }5/8\text{ in}$ in length.

Intradermal Injection Parameters

Parenteral delivery into the dermis at a $5^\circ\text{ to }15^\circ$ angle with the needle bevel up, utilizing a 26–28 gauge needle measuring $3/8\text{ to }3/4\text{ in}$ long.

Pediatric Otic Instillation (< 3 Years)

Ear drop administration technique requiring the nurse to pull the pinna down and back for pediatric patients under $3\text{ years}$ of age.

Adult Otic Instillation (> 3 Years)

Ear drop administration technique requiring the nurse to pull the pinna up and back for patients over $3\text{ years}$ of age.

The Nursing Process

A research-supported organizational framework for professional nursing practice that requires critical thinking and ensures individualized, quality patient care.

Five Steps of the Nursing Process

The sequential clinical decision-making phases consisting of Assessment, Nursing Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation.

Medication Profile

A comprehensive review conducted during nursing assessment documenting all prescription drugs, OTC medications, vitamins, herbs, supplements, and adherence history.

Three Steps of Nursing Diagnosis Formulation

The diagnostic construction consisting of: (1) Human response to illness/injury/change; (2) Defining characteristics (related factors); and (3) Evidence (signs, symptoms, supporting data).

Outcome Criteria

Concrete, objective, measurable descriptions of patient behavioral goals with specific time frames established during the planning phase.

Implementation Phase

The active nursing phase involving initiation and completion of independent, collaborative, and dependent interventions, including drug administration and patient teaching.

Evaluation Phase

The ongoing phase of the nursing process where the nurse compares the patient's current health status to desired outcomes and validates whether learning has occurred.

Rights of Medication Administration

Core nursing standards comprising the right drug, dose, time, route, patient, documentation, as well as the right reason/indication and the right to refuse.