Test Bank - Focus on Nursing Pharmacology 8th Edition 3
Amy Karch)
Chapter 01- Introduction to Drugs.
A nurse working in radiology administers iodine to a patient who is having a computed tomography
(CT) scan. The nurse working on the oncology unit administers chemotherapy to patients
who have cancer. At the Public Health Department, a nurse administers a measles-mumps-
rubella (MMR) vaccine to a 14-month-old child as a routine immunization. Which branch of
pharmacology best describes the actions of all three nurses?
Pharmacoeconomics
Pharmacotherapeutics
Pharmacodynamics
Pharmacokinetics
Ans: B
Feedback:
Pharmacology is the study of the biologic effects of chemicals. Nurses are involved with clinical
pharmacology or pharmacotherapeutics, which is a branch of pharmacology that deals with the
uses ofdrugs to treat, prevent, and diagnose disease. The radiology nurse is administering a
drug to help diagnose a disease. The oncology nurse is administering a drug to help treat a
disease.
Pharmacoeconomics includes any costs involved in drug therapy. Pharmacodynamics involves
how adrug affects the body and pharmacokinetics is how the body acts on the body.
A physician has ordered intramuscular (IM) injections of morphine, a narcotic, every 4 hours as needed
for pain in a motor vehicle accident victim. The nurse is aware this drug has a high abuse
potential. Under what category would morphine be classified?
Schedule I
Schedule II
Schedule III
Schedule IV
Ans: B
Feedback:
Narcotics with a high abuse potential are classified as Schedule II drugs because of severe
dependence
,Test Bank - Focus on Nursing Pharmacology 8th Edition 4
Amy Karch)
liability. Schedule I drugs have high abuse potential and no accepted medical use. Schedule III
drugs have a lesser abuse potential than II and an accepted medical use. Schedule IV drugs
have low abusepotential and limited dependence liability.
When involved in phase III drug evaluation studies, what responsibilities would the nurse have?
Working with animals who are given experimental drugs
Choosing appropriate patients to be involved in the drug study
Monitoring and observing patients closely for adverse effects
Conducting research to determine effectiveness of the drugAns:
C
Feedback:
Phase III studies involve use of a drug in a vast clinical population in which patients are asked to
recordany symptoms they experience while taking the drugs. Nurses may be responsible for
helping collect and analyze the information to be shared with the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) but would not conduct research independently because nurses do not prescribe
medications. Use of animals in drug testing is done in the preclinical trials. Select patients who
are involved in phase II studies to participate in studies where the participants have the disease
the drug is intended to treat. These patients are monitored closely for drug action and adverse
effects. Phase I studies involve healthy human volunteerswho are usually paid for their
participation. Nurses may observe for adverse effects and toxicity.
What concept is considered when generic drugs are substituted for brand name drugs?
Bioavailability
Critical concentration
Distribution
Half-life
Ans: A
Feedback:
Bioavailability is the portion of a dose of a drug that reaches the systemic circulation and is
available toact on body cells. Binders used in a generic drug may not be the same as those used in
the brand name drug. Therefore, the way the body breaks down and uses the drug may differ,
which may eliminate a generic drug substitution. Critical concentration is the amount of a drug
that is needed to cause a therapeutic effect and should not differ between generic and brand
name medications. Distribution is the phase of pharmacokinetics, which involves the movement
of a drug to the body’s tissues and is the
,Test Bank - Focus on Nursing Pharmacology 8th Edition 5
Amy Karch)
same in generic and brand name drugs. A drug’s half-life is the time it takes for the amount of drug
todecrease to half the peak level, which should not change when substituting a generic medication.
A nurse is assessing the patient’s home medication use. After listening to the patient list current
medications, the nurse asks what priority question?
Do you take any generic medications?
Are any of these medications orphan drugs?
Are these medications safe to take during pregnancy?
Do you take any over-the-counter medications?
Ans: D
Feedback:
It is important for the nurse to specifically question use of over-the-counter medications because
patients may not consider them important. The patient is unlikely to know the meaning of orphan
drugsunless they too are health care providers. Safety during pregnancy, use of a generic
medication, or classification of orphan drugs are things the patient would be unable to answer
but could be found in reference books if the nurse wishes to research them.
After completing a course on pharmacology for nurses, what will the nurse know?
Everything necessary for safe and effective medication administration
Current pharmacologic therapy; the nurse will not require ongoing education for 5 years.
General drug information; the nurse can consult a drug guide for specific drug information.
The drug actions that are associated with each classification of medicationAns:
C
Feedback:
After completing a pharmacology course nurses will have general drug information needed for safe
and effective medication administration but will need to consult a drug guide for specific drug
information before administering any medication. Pharmacology is constantly changing, with
new drugs entering the market and new uses for existing drugs identified. Continuing education
in pharmacology is essential to safe practice. Nurses tend to become familiar with the
medications they administer most often, but there will always be a need to research new drugs
and also those the nurse is not familiar withbecause no nurse knows all medications.
, Test Bank - Focus on Nursing Pharmacology 8th Edition 6
Amy Karch)
A nurse is instructing a pregnant patient concerning the potential risk to her fetus from a
PregnancyCategory B drug. What would the nurse inform the patient?
Adequate studies in pregnant women have demonstrated there is no risk to the fetus.
Animal studies have not demonstrated a risk to the fetus, but there have been no adequate studiesin
pregnant women.
Animal studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus, but there are no adequate studies in
pregnant women.
There is evidence of human fetal risk, but the potential benefits from use of the drug may be
acceptable despite potential risks.
Ans: B
Feedback:
Category B indicates that animal studies have not demonstrated a risk to the fetus. However, there
havenot been adequate studies in pregnant women to demonstrate risk to a fetus during the first
trimester of pregnancy and no evidence of risk in later trimesters. Category A indicates that
adequate studies in pregnant women have not demonstrated a risk to the fetus in the first
trimester or in later trimesters.
Category C indicates that animal studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus, but no
adequate studies in humans. Category D reveals evidence of human fetal risk, but the potential
benefits from theuse of the drugs in pregnant women may outweigh potential risks.
Discharge planning for patients leaving the hospital should include instructions on the use of over-the-
counter (OTC) drugs. Which comment by the patient would demonstrate a good understanding
of OTCdrugs?
OTC drugs are safe and do not cause adverse effects if taken properly.
OTC drugs have been around for years and have not been tested by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA).
OTC drugs are different from any drugs available by prescription and cost less.
OTC drugs could cause serious harm if not taken according to directions.
Ans: D
Feedback:
It is important to follow package directions because OTCs are medications that can cause serious
harmif not taken properly. OTCs are drugs that have been determined to be safe when taken as
directed; however, all drugs can produce adverse effects even when taken properly. They may
have originallybeen prescription drugs that were tested by the FDA or they may have been
grandfathered in when the
Amy Karch)
Chapter 01- Introduction to Drugs.
A nurse working in radiology administers iodine to a patient who is having a computed tomography
(CT) scan. The nurse working on the oncology unit administers chemotherapy to patients
who have cancer. At the Public Health Department, a nurse administers a measles-mumps-
rubella (MMR) vaccine to a 14-month-old child as a routine immunization. Which branch of
pharmacology best describes the actions of all three nurses?
Pharmacoeconomics
Pharmacotherapeutics
Pharmacodynamics
Pharmacokinetics
Ans: B
Feedback:
Pharmacology is the study of the biologic effects of chemicals. Nurses are involved with clinical
pharmacology or pharmacotherapeutics, which is a branch of pharmacology that deals with the
uses ofdrugs to treat, prevent, and diagnose disease. The radiology nurse is administering a
drug to help diagnose a disease. The oncology nurse is administering a drug to help treat a
disease.
Pharmacoeconomics includes any costs involved in drug therapy. Pharmacodynamics involves
how adrug affects the body and pharmacokinetics is how the body acts on the body.
A physician has ordered intramuscular (IM) injections of morphine, a narcotic, every 4 hours as needed
for pain in a motor vehicle accident victim. The nurse is aware this drug has a high abuse
potential. Under what category would morphine be classified?
Schedule I
Schedule II
Schedule III
Schedule IV
Ans: B
Feedback:
Narcotics with a high abuse potential are classified as Schedule II drugs because of severe
dependence
,Test Bank - Focus on Nursing Pharmacology 8th Edition 4
Amy Karch)
liability. Schedule I drugs have high abuse potential and no accepted medical use. Schedule III
drugs have a lesser abuse potential than II and an accepted medical use. Schedule IV drugs
have low abusepotential and limited dependence liability.
When involved in phase III drug evaluation studies, what responsibilities would the nurse have?
Working with animals who are given experimental drugs
Choosing appropriate patients to be involved in the drug study
Monitoring and observing patients closely for adverse effects
Conducting research to determine effectiveness of the drugAns:
C
Feedback:
Phase III studies involve use of a drug in a vast clinical population in which patients are asked to
recordany symptoms they experience while taking the drugs. Nurses may be responsible for
helping collect and analyze the information to be shared with the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) but would not conduct research independently because nurses do not prescribe
medications. Use of animals in drug testing is done in the preclinical trials. Select patients who
are involved in phase II studies to participate in studies where the participants have the disease
the drug is intended to treat. These patients are monitored closely for drug action and adverse
effects. Phase I studies involve healthy human volunteerswho are usually paid for their
participation. Nurses may observe for adverse effects and toxicity.
What concept is considered when generic drugs are substituted for brand name drugs?
Bioavailability
Critical concentration
Distribution
Half-life
Ans: A
Feedback:
Bioavailability is the portion of a dose of a drug that reaches the systemic circulation and is
available toact on body cells. Binders used in a generic drug may not be the same as those used in
the brand name drug. Therefore, the way the body breaks down and uses the drug may differ,
which may eliminate a generic drug substitution. Critical concentration is the amount of a drug
that is needed to cause a therapeutic effect and should not differ between generic and brand
name medications. Distribution is the phase of pharmacokinetics, which involves the movement
of a drug to the body’s tissues and is the
,Test Bank - Focus on Nursing Pharmacology 8th Edition 5
Amy Karch)
same in generic and brand name drugs. A drug’s half-life is the time it takes for the amount of drug
todecrease to half the peak level, which should not change when substituting a generic medication.
A nurse is assessing the patient’s home medication use. After listening to the patient list current
medications, the nurse asks what priority question?
Do you take any generic medications?
Are any of these medications orphan drugs?
Are these medications safe to take during pregnancy?
Do you take any over-the-counter medications?
Ans: D
Feedback:
It is important for the nurse to specifically question use of over-the-counter medications because
patients may not consider them important. The patient is unlikely to know the meaning of orphan
drugsunless they too are health care providers. Safety during pregnancy, use of a generic
medication, or classification of orphan drugs are things the patient would be unable to answer
but could be found in reference books if the nurse wishes to research them.
After completing a course on pharmacology for nurses, what will the nurse know?
Everything necessary for safe and effective medication administration
Current pharmacologic therapy; the nurse will not require ongoing education for 5 years.
General drug information; the nurse can consult a drug guide for specific drug information.
The drug actions that are associated with each classification of medicationAns:
C
Feedback:
After completing a pharmacology course nurses will have general drug information needed for safe
and effective medication administration but will need to consult a drug guide for specific drug
information before administering any medication. Pharmacology is constantly changing, with
new drugs entering the market and new uses for existing drugs identified. Continuing education
in pharmacology is essential to safe practice. Nurses tend to become familiar with the
medications they administer most often, but there will always be a need to research new drugs
and also those the nurse is not familiar withbecause no nurse knows all medications.
, Test Bank - Focus on Nursing Pharmacology 8th Edition 6
Amy Karch)
A nurse is instructing a pregnant patient concerning the potential risk to her fetus from a
PregnancyCategory B drug. What would the nurse inform the patient?
Adequate studies in pregnant women have demonstrated there is no risk to the fetus.
Animal studies have not demonstrated a risk to the fetus, but there have been no adequate studiesin
pregnant women.
Animal studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus, but there are no adequate studies in
pregnant women.
There is evidence of human fetal risk, but the potential benefits from use of the drug may be
acceptable despite potential risks.
Ans: B
Feedback:
Category B indicates that animal studies have not demonstrated a risk to the fetus. However, there
havenot been adequate studies in pregnant women to demonstrate risk to a fetus during the first
trimester of pregnancy and no evidence of risk in later trimesters. Category A indicates that
adequate studies in pregnant women have not demonstrated a risk to the fetus in the first
trimester or in later trimesters.
Category C indicates that animal studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus, but no
adequate studies in humans. Category D reveals evidence of human fetal risk, but the potential
benefits from theuse of the drugs in pregnant women may outweigh potential risks.
Discharge planning for patients leaving the hospital should include instructions on the use of over-the-
counter (OTC) drugs. Which comment by the patient would demonstrate a good understanding
of OTCdrugs?
OTC drugs are safe and do not cause adverse effects if taken properly.
OTC drugs have been around for years and have not been tested by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA).
OTC drugs are different from any drugs available by prescription and cost less.
OTC drugs could cause serious harm if not taken according to directions.
Ans: D
Feedback:
It is important to follow package directions because OTCs are medications that can cause serious
harmif not taken properly. OTCs are drugs that have been determined to be safe when taken as
directed; however, all drugs can produce adverse effects even when taken properly. They may
have originallybeen prescription drugs that were tested by the FDA or they may have been
grandfathered in when the
