General Pharmacology & Medication Safety
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105 Terms
What is the main purpose of medication safety?
Prevent harm and give medications correctly.
What are the 6 medication rights?
Right patient, medication, dose, route, time, and documentation.
What should the nurse check before giving any medication?
The medication order, allergies, patient, vital signs, labs, and patient condition.
What should the nurse do with an unclear medication order?
Clarify the order before giving the medication.
What should the nurse do if a medication appears unsafe?
Hold it and clarify the order with the provider.
Why are patient identifiers checked before medications?
To make sure the correct patient receives the medication.
How many patient identifiers should be used?
At least two approved identifiers.
What is one priority before administering a medication?
Assess the patient.
What should be checked after giving a medication?
Effectiveness and adverse effects.
When should a nurse hold a medication?
When the patient's condition, vital signs, labs, or medication order make it unsafe.
What should the nurse do after holding a medication?
Assess the patient and notify or clarify with the provider.
What should the nurse do if the prescribed dose looks wrong?
Do not give it until the dose is clarified.
What should the nurse do if the route is inappropriate?
Clarify the order before administration.
What is an incomplete medication order?
An order missing information needed for safe administration.
Should an illegible medication order be given?
No. Clarify it first.
What is a contraindicated medication?
A medication that could cause serious harm in that patient.
What should the nurse do with a contraindicated medication order?
Hold it and clarify with the provider.
Why are relevant vital signs checked before medications?
They can show whether the medication is safe to give.
Why are laboratory results checked before medications?
Abnormal labs can make a medication unsafe or require a dose adjustment.
What should medication documentation include?
What was given, when it was given, the dose, route, and other required information.
Why is accurate medication documentation important?
It promotes safety and prevents duplicate or missed doses.
What is the nurse's legal responsibility with medications?
Administer safely, question unsafe orders, and document accurately.
What is the nurse's ethical responsibility with medications?
Protect the patient and advocate for safe care.
Should a nurse give a medication believed to be unsafe?
No, not until the concern is clarified.
What part of the nursing process comes before medication administration?
Assessment.
What happens during the planning step for medication therapy?
Determine the expected patient outcome.
What happens during implementation?
Administer the medication safely.
What happens during evaluation?
Determine whether the medication worked and check for adverse effects.
What does evaluating medication effectiveness mean?
Checking whether the expected therapeutic effect occurred.
What is a priority action after a serious medication reaction?
Assess and intervene for patient safety, then notify the provider.
What is a medication category?
A group of medications with similar actions and effects.
What is a prototype medication?
The main medication used to learn about a medication category.
What is a generic medication name?
The medication's official name.
What is a brand or trade name?
The commercial name given to a medication by a company.
Do generic and brand medications have the same active medication?
Yes.
What is a prescription medication?
A medication that requires an order from a licensed provider.
What is an over-the-counter (OTC) medication?
A medication that can be purchased without a prescription.
What is pharmaceutics?
How a medication's form affects dissolution, absorption, and onset of action.
What is pharmacokinetics?
What the body does to a medication.
What does ADME stand for?
Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.
What is absorption?
Movement of a medication into the bloodstream.
What is distribution?
Movement of a medication through the blood to body tissues and its site of action.
What is metabolism?
Chemical alteration or breakdown of a medication.
What organ performs most medication metabolism?
The liver.
What is biotransformation?
Chemical alteration of a medication during metabolism.
What is a metabolite?
A by-product formed when a medication is metabolized.
What is excretion?
Removal of a medication or its metabolites from the body.
What organs are most important for medication excretion?
The kidneys.
Why can kidney impairment cause medication toxicity?
The medication can build up because excretion is decreased.
Why can liver impairment cause medication toxicity?
The medication can build up because metabolism is decreased.
What is a medication's half-life?
The time it takes for the amount of medication in the body to decrease by half.
What does a short half-life usually mean?
The medication may need to be given more often.
What does a long half-life usually mean?
The medication may need to be given less often.
What is onset of action?
The time until a medication begins producing a therapeutic response.
What is peak effect?
The time when a medication reaches its strongest therapeutic effect.
What is duration of action?
How long the medication's therapeutic effect lasts.
What is pharmacodynamics?
What a medication does to the body.
What does pharmacodynamics include?
Medication actions, receptor effects, desired effects, and unwanted effects.
What is a therapeutic effect?
The intended or desired effect of a medication.
What shows that a medication is working?
The expected therapeutic outcome occurs.
What is an adverse effect?
An unwanted or harmful medication effect.
What should the nurse do with a serious adverse effect?
Assess, hold the medication when indicated, intervene, and notify the provider.
What is an agonist?
A medication that binds to a receptor and increases a response.
What is an antagonist?
A medication that binds to a receptor and blocks or decreases a response.
What is medication tolerance?
A decreased response to a medication after repeated use.
What may happen when tolerance develops?
A larger dose may be needed to produce the same therapeutic effect.
What is medication dependence?
A physical or psychological need for a medication.
What can happen if a dependent patient suddenly stops a medication?
Withdrawal syndrome can occur.
What is a cumulative medication effect?
Medication buildup because the body cannot remove it fast enough.
Who is at greater risk for cumulative medication effects?
Patients with impaired liver or kidney function.
What is medication toxicity?
Harmful effects caused by excessive medication levels.
What can cause medication toxicity?
Excessive doses, medication buildup, organ impairment, interactions, or dosing errors.
How can medication toxicity be detected?
Patient assessment and laboratory monitoring.
What dose helps reduce medication toxicity risk?
The lowest effective dose.
What is a contraindication?
A reason a medication should not be used because it could cause serious harm.
What is a precaution?
A condition that requires extra care when using a medication.
What is a boxed warning?
The FDA's highest safety warning for serious medication risks.
Why should the nurse review the patient's medical history before medications?
To identify contraindications, precautions, and other safety risks.
What is a peak medication level?
The highest medication concentration in the blood.
What is a trough medication level?
The lowest medication concentration in the blood.
When is a trough usually drawn?
Right before the next medication dose.
Why are peak and trough levels measured?
To keep medication levels effective and safe.
What is the therapeutic range?
The medication level expected to work without causing toxicity.
What can happen if a medication level is below the therapeutic range?
The medication may not work well enough.
What can happen if a medication level is above the therapeutic range?
The risk for toxicity increases.
What is a medication interaction?
When another substance changes a medication's expected action.
What substances can interact with medications?
Other medications, foods, drinks, and supplements.
Why can grapefruit juice be dangerous with some medications?
It can increase some medication levels and toxicity.
What can tyramine cause with certain medications?
A hypertensive crisis.
What can calcium do to tetracycline absorption?
It can decrease tetracycline absorption.
How can vitamin K-rich foods affect warfarin?
They can decrease warfarin's anticoagulant effect.
What factors can affect a patient's medication response?
Age, weight, kidney function, liver function, genetics, illness, other medications, food, supplements, and tolerance.
Why do older adults need extra medication monitoring?
Medication metabolism and excretion may be decreased.
Why do children respond differently to medications?
Their absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion are different.
What does EC mean on a medication?
Enteric-coated.
Should enteric-coated tablets usually be crushed?
No.
What does ER mean?
Extended-release.
Should extended-release medications be crushed?
No. Crushing them can release too much medication at once.
What does parenteral medication mean?
Medication given by injection.
What are common parenteral routes?
IV, subcutaneous (SUBQ), and intramuscular (IM).