Pharmacology Exam 1:
• The Nursing Process and Patient-Centered Care
Nursing process is a 6-step decision making approach:
1. Concept – influences delivery of pt. care, focuses on pt.-centered model of care, pertain to pt.
problems, includes health, illness, and health promotion, includes, preventive, primary, acute, and
chronic health care.
2. Assessment
3. Patient problem (replaces diagnosis)
4. Planning
5. Implementation (nursing intervention) – education, drug admin., pt. care, goal
directed behaviors.
6. Evaluation
The purpose is to identify pt. problem and provide care.
Assessment: nurse gathers information from the pt. about the pt.’s health
and lifestyle include both subjective and objective data.
Pt. problem: made based on analysis of the assessment data, and it
determines the type of care the pt. will receive.
Planning: nurse uses the data collected to set goals or expected outcomes
and interventions that address the pt.’s problems.
Goal setting: - the expected change is realistic, measurable, and includes
reasonable deadlines. – the goal is acceptable to both the pt. and nurse. –
the goal is dependent on the pt.’s decision making ability. – the goal
identifies components for evaluation.
Implementation: part of the nursing process in which the nurse provides
education, drug administration, pt. care, and other interventions necessary
to assist the pt. in accomplishing the established medication goals.
Evaluation: nurse determines whether goals and teaching objectives have
been met.
This study source was downloaded by 100000901930622 from CourseHero.com on 10-27-2025 21:02:42 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/128551870/Pharmacology-Exam-1-notespdf/
, THE NAQC (Nursing Alliance for Quality Care)
- Supports highest quality safe patient-centered health care
• Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics
Pharmacokinetics refers to the phase in which medications move through the body.
There are 4 phases of pharmacokinetics:
- Absorption: happens with drug movement from GI tract into the bloodstream.
Remember, dissolution and excipients
Dissolution happens when a po medication breaks down into particles, disintegration, and
dissolves to combine with liquid so absorption from GI tract into the bloodstream occurs.
(Enteric coated medications are designed to resist disintegration until the pill reaches the
small intestine)
Excipients are the fillers and other substances that make up tables as a pill is not 100% drug.
Sometimes an excipient enhances the absorption of a drug
Drugs are best absorbed in an acidic environment. Older adults and young children
do not have as much gastric acidity so their absorption rate for po meds is slower.
- Distribution: the movement of the drug from the circulation to body tissues
Influenced by rate of blood flow to the tissue
Drug’s affinity to the tissue
Protein binding: when drugs in the plasma bind with proteins. To avoid toxicity, it is
important to know if you are administering highly protein bound medications and monitor
albumin levels in pts. With liver or kidney disease. A decrease in albumin levels decrease
protein-binding sites, which means more of the free drug is circulated. This can be fatal with
some meds. Older adults, malnourished individuals, and those with liver or kidney disease
have low albumin levels.
- Metabolism: metabolism is the enzymatic conversion of one chemical compound
into another
Biotransformation, part of drug metabolism, is when the body changes drugs into a form that
can be excreted. The liver is where most drugs are metabolized. If the patient has liver
disease then drug metabolism is decreased and accumulation of excess medication may lead
to toxicity.
Half-life, which is the time it takes the body to reduced drug activity by half.
Loading dose may be administered for patients that need the therapeutic effect before the
steady state is normally reached.
- Excretion: the removal of waste products from medications which is done mainly
through the kidneys.
2
This study source was downloaded by 100000901930622 from CourseHero.com on 10-27-2025 21:02:42 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/128551870/Pharmacology-Exam-1-notespdf/
• The Nursing Process and Patient-Centered Care
Nursing process is a 6-step decision making approach:
1. Concept – influences delivery of pt. care, focuses on pt.-centered model of care, pertain to pt.
problems, includes health, illness, and health promotion, includes, preventive, primary, acute, and
chronic health care.
2. Assessment
3. Patient problem (replaces diagnosis)
4. Planning
5. Implementation (nursing intervention) – education, drug admin., pt. care, goal
directed behaviors.
6. Evaluation
The purpose is to identify pt. problem and provide care.
Assessment: nurse gathers information from the pt. about the pt.’s health
and lifestyle include both subjective and objective data.
Pt. problem: made based on analysis of the assessment data, and it
determines the type of care the pt. will receive.
Planning: nurse uses the data collected to set goals or expected outcomes
and interventions that address the pt.’s problems.
Goal setting: - the expected change is realistic, measurable, and includes
reasonable deadlines. – the goal is acceptable to both the pt. and nurse. –
the goal is dependent on the pt.’s decision making ability. – the goal
identifies components for evaluation.
Implementation: part of the nursing process in which the nurse provides
education, drug administration, pt. care, and other interventions necessary
to assist the pt. in accomplishing the established medication goals.
Evaluation: nurse determines whether goals and teaching objectives have
been met.
This study source was downloaded by 100000901930622 from CourseHero.com on 10-27-2025 21:02:42 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/128551870/Pharmacology-Exam-1-notespdf/
, THE NAQC (Nursing Alliance for Quality Care)
- Supports highest quality safe patient-centered health care
• Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics
Pharmacokinetics refers to the phase in which medications move through the body.
There are 4 phases of pharmacokinetics:
- Absorption: happens with drug movement from GI tract into the bloodstream.
Remember, dissolution and excipients
Dissolution happens when a po medication breaks down into particles, disintegration, and
dissolves to combine with liquid so absorption from GI tract into the bloodstream occurs.
(Enteric coated medications are designed to resist disintegration until the pill reaches the
small intestine)
Excipients are the fillers and other substances that make up tables as a pill is not 100% drug.
Sometimes an excipient enhances the absorption of a drug
Drugs are best absorbed in an acidic environment. Older adults and young children
do not have as much gastric acidity so their absorption rate for po meds is slower.
- Distribution: the movement of the drug from the circulation to body tissues
Influenced by rate of blood flow to the tissue
Drug’s affinity to the tissue
Protein binding: when drugs in the plasma bind with proteins. To avoid toxicity, it is
important to know if you are administering highly protein bound medications and monitor
albumin levels in pts. With liver or kidney disease. A decrease in albumin levels decrease
protein-binding sites, which means more of the free drug is circulated. This can be fatal with
some meds. Older adults, malnourished individuals, and those with liver or kidney disease
have low albumin levels.
- Metabolism: metabolism is the enzymatic conversion of one chemical compound
into another
Biotransformation, part of drug metabolism, is when the body changes drugs into a form that
can be excreted. The liver is where most drugs are metabolized. If the patient has liver
disease then drug metabolism is decreased and accumulation of excess medication may lead
to toxicity.
Half-life, which is the time it takes the body to reduced drug activity by half.
Loading dose may be administered for patients that need the therapeutic effect before the
steady state is normally reached.
- Excretion: the removal of waste products from medications which is done mainly
through the kidneys.
2
This study source was downloaded by 100000901930622 from CourseHero.com on 10-27-2025 21:02:42 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/128551870/Pharmacology-Exam-1-notespdf/
