Introduction to Pharmacology and Nursing Responsibilities Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards derived from lecture notes covering key pharmacology terms, drug administration routes, clinical study phases, regulatory agencies, and historical legislation.

Pharmacology

The study of the biological effects of chemicals on living organisms.

Drug

A chemical substance introduced into the body to cause some sort of change or alter a biological process.

Medication

A drug used therapeutically to prevent, diagnose, treat, or manage a medical condition.

Pharmacokinetics

The study of what the body does to a drug, involving absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.

Pharmacodynamics

The study of what a drug does to the body.

Absorption

The process of the body taking in the medication.

Distribution

The movement of a drug throughout the body.

Metabolism

The process of breaking down a drug within the body.

Excretion

The process of getting rid of a drug out of the body.

Half-life

The time from when a drug enters the body to when there is $50\%$ of the drug left in the body.

Sublingual Route

Administration route where medication is placed under the tongue.

Oral Route (PO)

The preferred and slowest route of medication administration.

Subcutaneous Route (SQ)

Medication injection into the fat, used for drugs such as insulin and heparin.

Intradermal Route

Medication administration right below the skin, used for tests such as the TB test.

Intramuscular Route (IM)

Medication injection into the muscle administered at a $90^\circ$ angle.

Intravenous Route (IV)

Medication administration directly into a vein, providing the fastest onset of action immediately.

Intraosseous Route

Medication administration directly into the bone.

Epidural Route

Medication administration into the space near the 4th and 5th vertebrae.

Sentinel Event

A severe medication error that results in patient death.

Near Miss

An event in which a medication error almost occurs but is caught before reaching the patient.

Stat Order

A medication order that must be administered immediately, within $30\,\text{min}$.

PRN Order

A medication order to be administered as needed.

Generic Name

The standardized nonproprietary name assigned to a drug, with only one generic name per drug.

Brand/Trade Name

The commercial name given to a drug by its manufacturer.

Drug Class

A group of medications sharing related therapeutic, action, or structural characteristics.

Prototype

A representative medication used to understand an entire drug class.

Preclinical Trials

The initial drug evaluation phase where chemicals are tested in vitro or in vivo on animals.

Phase I Studies

The phase of drug testing conducted on human volunteers.

Phase II Studies

The clinical trial phase where a drug is tested on informed patients who have the targeted disease.

Phase III Studies

The stage of drug evaluation where a drug is administered to a larger sample of the population.

Phase IV Studies

The phase of continual post-marketing evaluation of a drug following FDA approval.

Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)

Legislation that prevented the marketing of adulterated drugs and required labeling to eliminate false or misleading claims.

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (1938)

Law mandating drug toxicity tests, establishing recall procedures, and granting enforcement power to the FDA.

Durham-Humphrey Amendment (1951)

Legislation tightening drug control and specifying that certain drugs must be labeled as 'may not be distributed without a prescription'.

Kefauver-Harris Act (1962)

Law requiring proof of both drug efficacy and safety while tightening quality control and FDA regulatory power over investigations.

Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act (1970)

Law defining drug abuse, classifying drugs by potential for abuse, and enforcing strict controls over distribution, storage, and use.

Orphan Drug Act (1983)

Legislation providing financial incentives for the development of orphan drugs to treat rare diseases.

Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (1994)

Law establishing specific labeling requirements for dietary supplements and classifying them as foods.

United States Pharmacopeia (USP)

Organization responsible for developing manufacturing standards, purity, strength, packaging, and labeling for drugs.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Federal agency established under the Department of Health and Human Services in 1988 that enforces standards set by the USP.

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

Federal agency with which all drug prescribers must register to receive a DEA identification number.

Medication Reconciliation

The process of reviewing a complete list of Rx, OTC, and supplement medications upon arrival or unit transfer to prevent errors and drug interactions.