Exam One Concept Guide
Medication administration
Routes: consider rapid onset vs. slower onset
• Rapid: IV
• Slower: orally
Reducing medication errors: potential complication of med errors
• Right pt.
• Right med.
• Right dosage.
• Right route.
• Right time.
Objective (purpose) of medications
• To provide maximum effects with minimal harm (side effects).
Side effects vs. adverse effects vs. anaphylaxis
• Side effects:
▪ Nearly unavoidable.
▪ Secondary drug effect produced by therapeutic dose.
▪ Examples: dizziness, dry mouth, sedation.
• Adverse effects:
▪ Any unintended or undesired effect that occurs at a normal drug dose.
▪ More serious and possibly life threatening.
▪ Examples: rash or anaphylaxis.
• Anaphylaxis:
▪ Intense allergic reaction.
▪ Life threatening bronchospasms and laryngeal edema.
▪ Stop meds and contact provider/911
Half-life
• Time it takes the original amount of a drug in the body to decrease by 50%
• Dependent on amount of drug, metabolism, and timing between doses.
Nursing process (phases: assessment, diagnosis, plan, intervene, evaluate)
• Assessment:
• Nursing Diagnosis:
• Plan:
• Intervene:
• Evaluate:
Nursing considerations
, • Considerations when a new drug is prescribed:
▪ Effectiveness.
▪ Safety.
▪ Selectivity.
▪ Low cost.
▪ Ease of administration (enhances pt adherence).
▪ Freedom from interactions.
• Intensity of drug response: (unique individual responses)
▪ Gender.
▪ Ethnicity.
▪ Weight.
▪ Adipose tissue.
▪ Kidney and liver function.
▪ Age.
▪ Metabolism.
▪ Diet/food/NPO
• Therapeutic Goal:
▪ Provides maximum effect with minimal harm.
Teratogenic meaning
• Drug induced birth defects.
Non-pharmacological interventions
• RICE/ heat/ massage
• Exercise.
• Acupuncture/ TENS
• Relaxation/meditation/ guided imagery.
• Therapy and cognitive distraction.
Tachyphylaxis meaning.
• Reduction in drug responsiveness brought on by repeated dosing over a short time.
• Not a common mechanism of drug tolerance.
• Very sudden and dramatic lessened response to the drug.
Agonist versus antagonist
• Agonist:
▪ Activates a receptor. (Turns it on).
▪ Can make processes go faster or slower.
▪ Have both affinity and high intrinsic activity.
▪ Endogenous regulators are considered agonists.
▪ Dobutamine mimics norepinephrine at cardia receptors.
• Antagonists:
▪ Produce their effects by preventing receptor activation by endogenous regulatory molecules
and drug. (Turns off).
Medication administration
Routes: consider rapid onset vs. slower onset
• Rapid: IV
• Slower: orally
Reducing medication errors: potential complication of med errors
• Right pt.
• Right med.
• Right dosage.
• Right route.
• Right time.
Objective (purpose) of medications
• To provide maximum effects with minimal harm (side effects).
Side effects vs. adverse effects vs. anaphylaxis
• Side effects:
▪ Nearly unavoidable.
▪ Secondary drug effect produced by therapeutic dose.
▪ Examples: dizziness, dry mouth, sedation.
• Adverse effects:
▪ Any unintended or undesired effect that occurs at a normal drug dose.
▪ More serious and possibly life threatening.
▪ Examples: rash or anaphylaxis.
• Anaphylaxis:
▪ Intense allergic reaction.
▪ Life threatening bronchospasms and laryngeal edema.
▪ Stop meds and contact provider/911
Half-life
• Time it takes the original amount of a drug in the body to decrease by 50%
• Dependent on amount of drug, metabolism, and timing between doses.
Nursing process (phases: assessment, diagnosis, plan, intervene, evaluate)
• Assessment:
• Nursing Diagnosis:
• Plan:
• Intervene:
• Evaluate:
Nursing considerations
, • Considerations when a new drug is prescribed:
▪ Effectiveness.
▪ Safety.
▪ Selectivity.
▪ Low cost.
▪ Ease of administration (enhances pt adherence).
▪ Freedom from interactions.
• Intensity of drug response: (unique individual responses)
▪ Gender.
▪ Ethnicity.
▪ Weight.
▪ Adipose tissue.
▪ Kidney and liver function.
▪ Age.
▪ Metabolism.
▪ Diet/food/NPO
• Therapeutic Goal:
▪ Provides maximum effect with minimal harm.
Teratogenic meaning
• Drug induced birth defects.
Non-pharmacological interventions
• RICE/ heat/ massage
• Exercise.
• Acupuncture/ TENS
• Relaxation/meditation/ guided imagery.
• Therapy and cognitive distraction.
Tachyphylaxis meaning.
• Reduction in drug responsiveness brought on by repeated dosing over a short time.
• Not a common mechanism of drug tolerance.
• Very sudden and dramatic lessened response to the drug.
Agonist versus antagonist
• Agonist:
▪ Activates a receptor. (Turns it on).
▪ Can make processes go faster or slower.
▪ Have both affinity and high intrinsic activity.
▪ Endogenous regulators are considered agonists.
▪ Dobutamine mimics norepinephrine at cardia receptors.
• Antagonists:
▪ Produce their effects by preventing receptor activation by endogenous regulatory molecules
and drug. (Turns off).
