ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
pharmacology - CORRECT ANSWER -the study of drugs and their interactions
goals of drug therapy - CORRECT ANSWER -provide maximum benefits with minimum
harms, provide drug therapy that is tailored to each individual
ideal drug - CORRECT ANSWER -effective, safe, selective
nurse responsibilities for drugs - CORRECT ANSWER -administer drugs, assess for
adverse drug effects, provide patient education about drugs and drug regimen, monitor and
prevent medication errors
the nurse answers a patient's call light and finds the patient sitting up in bed and requesting pain
medication. what will the nurse do first? - CORRECT ANSWER -assess the patient's pain
and pain level
assessment - CORRECT ANSWER -allergies, vital signs, height and weight, lab values,
patient complaints, history and chronic conditions, potential interactions, previous and current
use of meds
planning - CORRECT ANSWER -when to give meds, need for teaching, information
needed, resources; goals should be objective, measurable, and realistic with an established period
of time for achievement of the outcomes that are specifically stated in the outcome criteria
the patient's medication administration record lists two antiepileptic medications that are due at
0900, but the patient is NPO (nothing by mouth) for a barium study. the nurse's coworker
suggests giving the medications via IV because the patient is NPO. what will the nurse do? -
CORRECT ANSWER -give the meds via the IV route because the patient is NPO (nothing
by mouth)
,medication rights - CORRECT ANSWER -right patient, right drug, right dose, right time,
right reason, right route, right to refuse, right to education, right documentation, right disposal
implementation - CORRECT ANSWER -proper drug administration, comfort measures,
patient and family education; know meds, interactions, intended effects and side effects
parenteral meds - CORRECT ANSWER -injections (subcutaneous, intramuscular,
intravenous)
subcutaneous injections - CORRECT ANSWER -inserted into fatty places, needles are
5/8-1 inches with 25-30 gauge (insulin)
intramuscular injections - CORRECT ANSWER -inserted into the deltoid or arm, needles
are 1-2 inches with 20-22 gauge (vaccines)
intravenous injections - CORRECT ANSWER -instilled into the veins with a diffusion
rate, needles are 1/2 inch with 18-22 gauge (push meds, piggybacks)
chemical drug name - CORRECT ANSWER -provides the exact description of
medication's composition, most important name to chemist
generic drug name - CORRECT ANSWER -related to the chemical name and often
indicates the drug group, lowercase letters (lamotrigine)
trade drug name - CORRECT ANSWER -designated and patented by manufacturer,
capital letters (Lamictal)
safety rules for meds - CORRECT ANSWER -NEVER: leave meds at the bedside, chart
before med has been given, give what someone else has prepared, recap needles
, pharmacokinetics - CORRECT ANSWER -study of drug movement throughout the body
(what the drug does to the body)
passive diffusion - CORRECT ANSWER -high to low concentration
active transport - CORRECT ANSWER -the movement through a cell membrane, uses
energy, low to high concentration
diffusion - CORRECT ANSWER -high to low concentration
filtration - CORRECT ANSWER -passing in and out of semipermeable membranes
actions of drugs - CORRECT ANSWER -replace or act as substitutes, increase or
stimulate cellular activity, depress or slow cellular activity, interfere with foreign cells
agonists - CORRECT ANSWER -drugs that produce effects similar to those produced by
naturally occurring hormones, neurotransmitters
antagonists - CORRECT ANSWER -drugs that inhibit cell function by occupying receptor
sites which prevents natural body substances from occupying receptor sites and activating cell
function
four processes of pharmacokinetics (ADME) - CORRECT ANSWER -Absorption,
Distribution, Metabolism-Biotransformation, Excretion
absorption - CORRECT ANSWER -occurs from the time drug enters the body to the time
it enters the bloodstream; affected by dosage, route, blood flow to administration site, GI
function
bioavailability - CORRECT ANSWER -part of absorption; portion of a dose that reaches
the systemic circulation and is available to the cells