Charity School of Nursing Nurs 117 Principles of Drug Action
Questions with Correct Answers (Grade A+)
Question 1: What is the study of drug movement throughout the body?
Answer: Pharmacokinetics
Question 2: What are 6 things you should know about Pharmacokinetics?
Answer: • Know how the body deals with medication • Understand & predict actions, side effects of
medications • Understand obstacles a drug faces to reach target cells • Greatest barrier for drugs is crossing
many membranes • Enteral route drugs are broken down by stomach acids and digestive enzymes • Organs
attempt to excrete medicines
Question 3: What are enteral drugs broken down by?
Answer: Stomach acids
Question 4: What are the 4 categories of pharmacokinetic processes?
Answer: Absorption Distribution Metabolism Excretion
Question 5: What is the Movement from site of administration, across body membranes, to circulating
fluids?
Answer: Absorption
Question 6: What is the Primary pharmacokinetic factor determining length of time for drug to
produce effect?
Answer: Absorption
Question 7: What is the % of the drug that reaches the circulation?
Answer: Bioavailability
Question 8: What are factors affecting Drug Absorption?
Answer: Dose • Route of administration • Size of the drug molecule • Surface area of the absorptive site •
Digestive motility • Blood flow • Lipid solubility of the drug • p H of local environment •
Drug-drug/food-drug interactions • Dietary supplement/herbal product-drug interactions Food
Question 9: Can a patient's digestive motility affect its absorption?
Answer: Yes
Page 1
, Question 10: When is acid an nonionized form?
Answer: In an acidic environment
Question 11: What is an example of a weak acid?
Answer: Aspirin
Question 12: When is aspirin in a ionized form?
Answer: In a basic environment
Question 13: What is the transport of drugs throughout the body?
Answer: Distribution
Question 14: What is the simplest factor determining distribution?
Answer: the amount of blood flow to body tissues
Question 15: What are two ways that drug exist?
Answer: Free state or Bound to a plasma protein
Question 16: drug-protein complexes are .....
Answer: too large to cross membranes
Question 17: What are special anatomic barriers that prevent many chemicals and medications from
entering?
Answer: Blood brain barrier & fetal-placenta barrier
Question 18: What makes brain tumors difficult to treat?
Answer: Blood Brain Barrier (BBB)
Question 19: What protects the fetus; no pregnant woman should be given medication without strong
consideration of condition?
Answer: Fetal brain barrier
Question 20: What is also known as biotransformation?
Answer: Metabolism
Page 2
Questions with Correct Answers (Grade A+)
Question 1: What is the study of drug movement throughout the body?
Answer: Pharmacokinetics
Question 2: What are 6 things you should know about Pharmacokinetics?
Answer: • Know how the body deals with medication • Understand & predict actions, side effects of
medications • Understand obstacles a drug faces to reach target cells • Greatest barrier for drugs is crossing
many membranes • Enteral route drugs are broken down by stomach acids and digestive enzymes • Organs
attempt to excrete medicines
Question 3: What are enteral drugs broken down by?
Answer: Stomach acids
Question 4: What are the 4 categories of pharmacokinetic processes?
Answer: Absorption Distribution Metabolism Excretion
Question 5: What is the Movement from site of administration, across body membranes, to circulating
fluids?
Answer: Absorption
Question 6: What is the Primary pharmacokinetic factor determining length of time for drug to
produce effect?
Answer: Absorption
Question 7: What is the % of the drug that reaches the circulation?
Answer: Bioavailability
Question 8: What are factors affecting Drug Absorption?
Answer: Dose • Route of administration • Size of the drug molecule • Surface area of the absorptive site •
Digestive motility • Blood flow • Lipid solubility of the drug • p H of local environment •
Drug-drug/food-drug interactions • Dietary supplement/herbal product-drug interactions Food
Question 9: Can a patient's digestive motility affect its absorption?
Answer: Yes
Page 1
, Question 10: When is acid an nonionized form?
Answer: In an acidic environment
Question 11: What is an example of a weak acid?
Answer: Aspirin
Question 12: When is aspirin in a ionized form?
Answer: In a basic environment
Question 13: What is the transport of drugs throughout the body?
Answer: Distribution
Question 14: What is the simplest factor determining distribution?
Answer: the amount of blood flow to body tissues
Question 15: What are two ways that drug exist?
Answer: Free state or Bound to a plasma protein
Question 16: drug-protein complexes are .....
Answer: too large to cross membranes
Question 17: What are special anatomic barriers that prevent many chemicals and medications from
entering?
Answer: Blood brain barrier & fetal-placenta barrier
Question 18: What makes brain tumors difficult to treat?
Answer: Blood Brain Barrier (BBB)
Question 19: What protects the fetus; no pregnant woman should be given medication without strong
consideration of condition?
Answer: Fetal brain barrier
Question 20: What is also known as biotransformation?
Answer: Metabolism
Page 2
