Pharmacology Study Guide - Part 1
A nurse has been assigned to care for a 52-year-old attorney who has hypertension and peptic
ulcer disease. Before administering his medications, the nurse must complete an initial
assessment. Core patient variables will be obtained from which of the following? (Select all that
apply.)
A) The patient's interview
B) The patient's medical history
C) The patient's medical record
D) The patient's physical examination
E) The patient's health insurer - ANS - A
\A 68-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with hypertension 2 weeks ago and was
prescribed a new hypertension medication has returned to the clinic for a follow-up visit. The
nurse notes that the patient's blood pressure is unchanged from her last clinic visit. When the
patient was asked if she was taking the new medication on a regular basis, she stated, "I
thought that I was supposed to take the new drug when I had a pounding headache or was in a
stressful situation, not all the time." An appropriate nursing diagnosis for this patient would be
which of the following?
A) Knowledge, deficient due to the lack of understanding of treatment regimen
B) Coping, ineffective due to forgetfulness
C) Confusion, acute concerning drug administration
D) Anxiety due to diagnosis of hypertension - ANS - A
\In order to promote therapeutic drug effects, the nurse should always encourage patients to
A) take their medication with meals.
B) take their medication at the prescribed times.
C) increase medication dosages if necessary.
D) use alternative therapy to increase the effects of their medications. - ANS - B
\A patient is treated with an antibiotic for an infection in his leg. After 2 days of taking the
antibiotic, the patient calls the clinic and reports that he has a rash all over his body. The nurse
is aware that a rash can be an adverse effect of an antibiotic and can be either a biologic,
chemical, or physiologic action of the drug, which is an example of
A) pharmacotherapeutics.
B) pharmacokinetics.
C) pharmacodynamics.
D) pharmacogenetics. - ANS - C
\A nurse has been assigned the task of preparing educational materials for patients with
diabetes. The nurse has included the drug name, the reason the drug was prescribed, the
, intended effect of the drug, along with important adverse effects that should be reported to the
nurse or the health care provider. Which of the following information is essential to include in the
educational materials?
A) Drug administration method
B) Core drug knowledge
C) Vital signs of the patient
D) Diagnosis and outcome identification mechanism - ANS - A
\A 56-year-old female patient has been admitted to the hospital with chronic muscle spasms and
has been prescribed a new medication to treat the spasms. She has a poorly documented
allergy to eggs, synthetic clothes, and perfumes. What is the priority action of the nurse to
ensure that prescribed medication does not experience an allergic reaction?
A) Call the prescriber immediately regarding her allergic reactions
B) Hold the medication for her muscle spasms until she can be treated for a possible allergic
reaction
C) Post an allergies notice on the front of the chart and document the allergies in the
appropriate area of the patient's record
D) Call the dietary staff and make sure that the patient is not served eggs for breakfast - ANS -
C
\The nurse has been assigned a 49-year-old patient who has acute colitis, and the nurse just
completed gathering data concerning core drug knowledge and core patient variables. To
implement nursing management of drug therapy for this patient, the nurse will then
A) evaluate the outcome of the drug therapy.
B) devise strategies to maximize the therapeutic effects of the drug.
C) implement planned nursing actions.
D) assess for data that will indicate interactions between core drug knowledge and core patient
variables. - ANS - B
\Which of the following activities would the nurse expect to complete during the evaluation
phase of the nursing process in drug therapy?
A) Compare the outcome expected with the actual patient outcome
B) Reconsider core drug knowledge and core patient variables
C) Ask questions to prepare an effective patient education program
D) Establish a baseline for the patient's treatment and care - ANS - A
\A nurse is caring for a postsurgical patient who has small tortuous veins and had a difficult IV
insertion. The patient is now receiving IV medications on a regular basis. What is the best
nursing intervention to minimize the adverse effects of this drug therapy?
A) Monitor the patient's bleeding time
B) Check the patient's blood glucose levels
C) Record baseline vital signs
D) Monitor the IV site for redness, swelling, or pain - ANS - D
A nurse has been assigned to care for a 52-year-old attorney who has hypertension and peptic
ulcer disease. Before administering his medications, the nurse must complete an initial
assessment. Core patient variables will be obtained from which of the following? (Select all that
apply.)
A) The patient's interview
B) The patient's medical history
C) The patient's medical record
D) The patient's physical examination
E) The patient's health insurer - ANS - A
\A 68-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with hypertension 2 weeks ago and was
prescribed a new hypertension medication has returned to the clinic for a follow-up visit. The
nurse notes that the patient's blood pressure is unchanged from her last clinic visit. When the
patient was asked if she was taking the new medication on a regular basis, she stated, "I
thought that I was supposed to take the new drug when I had a pounding headache or was in a
stressful situation, not all the time." An appropriate nursing diagnosis for this patient would be
which of the following?
A) Knowledge, deficient due to the lack of understanding of treatment regimen
B) Coping, ineffective due to forgetfulness
C) Confusion, acute concerning drug administration
D) Anxiety due to diagnosis of hypertension - ANS - A
\In order to promote therapeutic drug effects, the nurse should always encourage patients to
A) take their medication with meals.
B) take their medication at the prescribed times.
C) increase medication dosages if necessary.
D) use alternative therapy to increase the effects of their medications. - ANS - B
\A patient is treated with an antibiotic for an infection in his leg. After 2 days of taking the
antibiotic, the patient calls the clinic and reports that he has a rash all over his body. The nurse
is aware that a rash can be an adverse effect of an antibiotic and can be either a biologic,
chemical, or physiologic action of the drug, which is an example of
A) pharmacotherapeutics.
B) pharmacokinetics.
C) pharmacodynamics.
D) pharmacogenetics. - ANS - C
\A nurse has been assigned the task of preparing educational materials for patients with
diabetes. The nurse has included the drug name, the reason the drug was prescribed, the
, intended effect of the drug, along with important adverse effects that should be reported to the
nurse or the health care provider. Which of the following information is essential to include in the
educational materials?
A) Drug administration method
B) Core drug knowledge
C) Vital signs of the patient
D) Diagnosis and outcome identification mechanism - ANS - A
\A 56-year-old female patient has been admitted to the hospital with chronic muscle spasms and
has been prescribed a new medication to treat the spasms. She has a poorly documented
allergy to eggs, synthetic clothes, and perfumes. What is the priority action of the nurse to
ensure that prescribed medication does not experience an allergic reaction?
A) Call the prescriber immediately regarding her allergic reactions
B) Hold the medication for her muscle spasms until she can be treated for a possible allergic
reaction
C) Post an allergies notice on the front of the chart and document the allergies in the
appropriate area of the patient's record
D) Call the dietary staff and make sure that the patient is not served eggs for breakfast - ANS -
C
\The nurse has been assigned a 49-year-old patient who has acute colitis, and the nurse just
completed gathering data concerning core drug knowledge and core patient variables. To
implement nursing management of drug therapy for this patient, the nurse will then
A) evaluate the outcome of the drug therapy.
B) devise strategies to maximize the therapeutic effects of the drug.
C) implement planned nursing actions.
D) assess for data that will indicate interactions between core drug knowledge and core patient
variables. - ANS - B
\Which of the following activities would the nurse expect to complete during the evaluation
phase of the nursing process in drug therapy?
A) Compare the outcome expected with the actual patient outcome
B) Reconsider core drug knowledge and core patient variables
C) Ask questions to prepare an effective patient education program
D) Establish a baseline for the patient's treatment and care - ANS - A
\A nurse is caring for a postsurgical patient who has small tortuous veins and had a difficult IV
insertion. The patient is now receiving IV medications on a regular basis. What is the best
nursing intervention to minimize the adverse effects of this drug therapy?
A) Monitor the patient's bleeding time
B) Check the patient's blood glucose levels
C) Record baseline vital signs
D) Monitor the IV site for redness, swelling, or pain - ANS - D
