NURS 304 - Pharmacology Exam Questions with Correct Answers Latest Update 2026/2027
Define: Drug - Answers *A chemical substance used to treat or prevent a disease or condition.*
Almost all chemicals can be considered drugs, because, when we get enough exposure, all
chemicals can affect life.
Used for diagnosis of disease conditions, treatment of disease, and for prevention of illness or
pathologic states
Define: Pharmacology - Answers *The study of drugs and their interactions with living systems.*
Pharmacon = "Drug"
-logy = "the study of" a particular subject.
The unique combination of several biomedical sciences
The study of drugs and the origin, nature, properties and effects upon living organisms.
Define: Clinical Pharmacology - Answers *The study of the effects and movements of drugs in
the human body.*
All aspects of the interaction between drugs and people
Deine: Therapeutics (Pharmacotherapeutics) - Answers *The study of the therapeutic uses and
effects of drugs.*
Study of how drugs may be used in the treatment of disease and effects of drugs.
Use of drugs to diagnose, prevent, or treat disease, or to prevent certain conditions (such as
,pregnancy).
Sometimes abbreviated to just 'therapeutics'.
Define: Effectiveness - Answers An effective drug is one that elicits the responses for which it is
given.
Effectiveness is the most important property a drug can have.
Define: Safety - Answers A safe drug is defined as one that cannot produce harmful
effects—even if administered in very high doses and for a very long time.
Define: Selectivity - Answers A selective drug is defined as one that elicits only the response for
which it is given. There is no such thing as a wholly selective drug because all drugs cause side
effects.
Ten Properties of an Ideal Drug - Answers 1. Effectiveness
2. Safety
3. Selectivity
4. Reversibility
5. Predictability
6. Ease of administration
7. Minimal drug interactions
8. Low cost
9. Chemical stability
10. Simple generic name
What is the "therapeutic objective" of drug therapy? - Answers *Drug therapy should provide
maximal benefit with minimal harm.*
What affects the intensity of a drug response? - Answers *For each drug and individual person,
the concentration of the drug at its sites of action determines the intensity of the response that
the specific individual person will have.*
Describe factors that determine the intensity of drug response: - Answers Administration
,Pharmacokinetics
Pharmacodynamics
Individual characteristics of the patient
How does administration affect the intensity of a drug response? - Answers Medication errors
Patient compliance
How does pharmacokinetics affect the intensity of a drug response? - Answers *This is what
the body does to the drug.*
Determines how much of the administered dose gets to its sites of action.
Processes (ADME):
Absorption
Distribution
Metabolism
Excretion
How does pharmacodynamics affect the intensity of a drug response? - Answers *What the
drug does to the body.*
Drug-receptor interaction
- Binding of the drug to its receptor
Dose-response relationships
Patient's functional state
, Placebo effects
How does the individual affect the intensity of a drug response? - Answers No two patients will
respond to the same drug regimen (same drugs, same doses, same frequency) in an identical
manner.
*Drug therapy should always consider individual patient-specific factors*
Physiologic, pathologic and genetic differences between patients:
*Age, Developmental maturity of organs; peak physiological peaks; aging-related decline of
organ function, Genetics - (pharmacogenetics), Body size & composition, Gender,
pregnancy/lactation, Presence (and concentration) of other substances/drugs in the person's
system (drug interactions), Presence (and severity) of other diseases (comorbidities), Overall
health status / patient's functional state.*
What is the ultimate concern when administering a drug? - Answers Effectiveness of the drug. (I
think, doublecheck)
What is the primary determinant of the intensity of the response? - Answers The concentration
of the drug at its sites of action determines the intensity of the response that the individual will
have.
Define drug absorption: - Answers The movement of drug from the part of the body where the
drug is administered until the drug gets absorbed into the systemic circulation, ie the
"bloodstream
Define drug distribution: - Answers The movement of the drug throughout the body via the
bloodstream, and to and from various body tissues, such as fat, muscle and brain tissue.
Define drug metabolism: - Answers - (Increasingly referred to as "biotransformation"), refers to
the enzymatically mediated alteration of the drug molecule.
- Metabolism of a drug can have many possible effects depending on which drug is being
metabolized.
What does metabolism do to a drug? - Answers - Metabolism can convert an active drug into an
Define: Drug - Answers *A chemical substance used to treat or prevent a disease or condition.*
Almost all chemicals can be considered drugs, because, when we get enough exposure, all
chemicals can affect life.
Used for diagnosis of disease conditions, treatment of disease, and for prevention of illness or
pathologic states
Define: Pharmacology - Answers *The study of drugs and their interactions with living systems.*
Pharmacon = "Drug"
-logy = "the study of" a particular subject.
The unique combination of several biomedical sciences
The study of drugs and the origin, nature, properties and effects upon living organisms.
Define: Clinical Pharmacology - Answers *The study of the effects and movements of drugs in
the human body.*
All aspects of the interaction between drugs and people
Deine: Therapeutics (Pharmacotherapeutics) - Answers *The study of the therapeutic uses and
effects of drugs.*
Study of how drugs may be used in the treatment of disease and effects of drugs.
Use of drugs to diagnose, prevent, or treat disease, or to prevent certain conditions (such as
,pregnancy).
Sometimes abbreviated to just 'therapeutics'.
Define: Effectiveness - Answers An effective drug is one that elicits the responses for which it is
given.
Effectiveness is the most important property a drug can have.
Define: Safety - Answers A safe drug is defined as one that cannot produce harmful
effects—even if administered in very high doses and for a very long time.
Define: Selectivity - Answers A selective drug is defined as one that elicits only the response for
which it is given. There is no such thing as a wholly selective drug because all drugs cause side
effects.
Ten Properties of an Ideal Drug - Answers 1. Effectiveness
2. Safety
3. Selectivity
4. Reversibility
5. Predictability
6. Ease of administration
7. Minimal drug interactions
8. Low cost
9. Chemical stability
10. Simple generic name
What is the "therapeutic objective" of drug therapy? - Answers *Drug therapy should provide
maximal benefit with minimal harm.*
What affects the intensity of a drug response? - Answers *For each drug and individual person,
the concentration of the drug at its sites of action determines the intensity of the response that
the specific individual person will have.*
Describe factors that determine the intensity of drug response: - Answers Administration
,Pharmacokinetics
Pharmacodynamics
Individual characteristics of the patient
How does administration affect the intensity of a drug response? - Answers Medication errors
Patient compliance
How does pharmacokinetics affect the intensity of a drug response? - Answers *This is what
the body does to the drug.*
Determines how much of the administered dose gets to its sites of action.
Processes (ADME):
Absorption
Distribution
Metabolism
Excretion
How does pharmacodynamics affect the intensity of a drug response? - Answers *What the
drug does to the body.*
Drug-receptor interaction
- Binding of the drug to its receptor
Dose-response relationships
Patient's functional state
, Placebo effects
How does the individual affect the intensity of a drug response? - Answers No two patients will
respond to the same drug regimen (same drugs, same doses, same frequency) in an identical
manner.
*Drug therapy should always consider individual patient-specific factors*
Physiologic, pathologic and genetic differences between patients:
*Age, Developmental maturity of organs; peak physiological peaks; aging-related decline of
organ function, Genetics - (pharmacogenetics), Body size & composition, Gender,
pregnancy/lactation, Presence (and concentration) of other substances/drugs in the person's
system (drug interactions), Presence (and severity) of other diseases (comorbidities), Overall
health status / patient's functional state.*
What is the ultimate concern when administering a drug? - Answers Effectiveness of the drug. (I
think, doublecheck)
What is the primary determinant of the intensity of the response? - Answers The concentration
of the drug at its sites of action determines the intensity of the response that the individual will
have.
Define drug absorption: - Answers The movement of drug from the part of the body where the
drug is administered until the drug gets absorbed into the systemic circulation, ie the
"bloodstream
Define drug distribution: - Answers The movement of the drug throughout the body via the
bloodstream, and to and from various body tissues, such as fat, muscle and brain tissue.
Define drug metabolism: - Answers - (Increasingly referred to as "biotransformation"), refers to
the enzymatically mediated alteration of the drug molecule.
- Metabolism of a drug can have many possible effects depending on which drug is being
metabolized.
What does metabolism do to a drug? - Answers - Metabolism can convert an active drug into an
