Focus on Nursing Pharmacology 6th Edition Karch Test Bank
Chapter 01: Introduction to Drugs
1. 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?
A) Pharmacoeconomics
B) Pharmacotherapeutics
C) Pharmacodynamics
D) 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 of drugs 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 a drug affects the body and pharmacokinetics
is how the body acts on the body.
2. 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?
A) Schedule I
B) Schedule II
C) Schedule III
D) Schedule IV
Ans: B
Feedback:
Narcotics with a high abuse potential are classified as Schedule II drugs because of
severe dependence 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 abuse potential and limited dependence
liability.
Page 1
,3. When involved in phase III drug evaluation studies, what responsibilities would the
nurse have?
A) Working with animals who are given experimental drugs
B) Choosing appropriate patients to be involved in the drug study
C) Monitoring and observing patients closely for adverse effects
D) Conducting research to determine effectiveness of the drug
Ans: C
Feedback:
Phase III studies involve use of a drug in a vast clinical population in which patients are
asked to record any 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 volunteers who are usually paid for their participation. Nurses
may observe for adverse effects and toxicity.
4. What concept is considered when generic drugs are substituted for brand name drugs?
A) Bioavailability
B) Critical concentration
C) Distribution
D) Half-life
Ans: A
Feedback:
Bioavailability is the portion of a dose of a drug that reaches the systemic circulation
and is available to act 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 same in generic and brand name drugs. A drug's half-life is the time it takes for the
amount of drug to decrease to half the peak level, which should not change when
substituting a generic medication.
Page 2
,5. A nurse is assessing the patient's home medication use. After listening to the patient list
current medications, the nurse asks what priority question?
A) ―Do you take any generic medications?‖
B) ―Are any of these medications orphan drugs?‖
C) ―Are these medications safe to take during pregnancy?‖
D) ―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 drugs‖ unless 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.
6. After completing a course on pharmacology for nurses, what will the nurse know?
A) Everything necessary for safe and effective medication administration
B) Current pharmacologic therapy; the nurse will not require ongoing education for 5
years.
C) General drug information; the nurse can consult a drug guide for specific drug
information.
D) The drug actions that are associated with each classification of medication
Ans: 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 with because no nurse knows all medications.
Page 3
, 7. A nurse is instructing a pregnant patient concerning the potential risk to her fetus from a
Pregnancy Category B drug. What would the nurse inform the patient?
A) ―Adequate studies in pregnant women have demonstrated there is no risk to the
fetus.‖
B) ―Animal studies have not demonstrated a risk to the fetus, but there have been no
adequate studies in pregnant women.‖
C) ―Animal studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus, but there are no
adequate studies in pregnant women.‖
D) ―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 have not 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 the use of the drugs in pregnant women may outweigh potential risks.
8. 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 OTC drugs?
A) ―OTC drugs are safe and do not cause adverse effects if taken properly.‖
B) ―OTC drugs have been around for years and have not been tested by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA).‖
C) ―OTC drugs are different from any drugs available by prescription and cost less.‖
D) ―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 harm if 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 originally been prescription drugs that were tested
by the FDA or they may have been grandfathered in when the FDA laws changed. OTC
education should always be included as a part of the hospital discharge instructions.
Page 4
Chapter 01: Introduction to Drugs
1. 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?
A) Pharmacoeconomics
B) Pharmacotherapeutics
C) Pharmacodynamics
D) 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 of drugs 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 a drug affects the body and pharmacokinetics
is how the body acts on the body.
2. 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?
A) Schedule I
B) Schedule II
C) Schedule III
D) Schedule IV
Ans: B
Feedback:
Narcotics with a high abuse potential are classified as Schedule II drugs because of
severe dependence 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 abuse potential and limited dependence
liability.
Page 1
,3. When involved in phase III drug evaluation studies, what responsibilities would the
nurse have?
A) Working with animals who are given experimental drugs
B) Choosing appropriate patients to be involved in the drug study
C) Monitoring and observing patients closely for adverse effects
D) Conducting research to determine effectiveness of the drug
Ans: C
Feedback:
Phase III studies involve use of a drug in a vast clinical population in which patients are
asked to record any 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 volunteers who are usually paid for their participation. Nurses
may observe for adverse effects and toxicity.
4. What concept is considered when generic drugs are substituted for brand name drugs?
A) Bioavailability
B) Critical concentration
C) Distribution
D) Half-life
Ans: A
Feedback:
Bioavailability is the portion of a dose of a drug that reaches the systemic circulation
and is available to act 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 same in generic and brand name drugs. A drug's half-life is the time it takes for the
amount of drug to decrease to half the peak level, which should not change when
substituting a generic medication.
Page 2
,5. A nurse is assessing the patient's home medication use. After listening to the patient list
current medications, the nurse asks what priority question?
A) ―Do you take any generic medications?‖
B) ―Are any of these medications orphan drugs?‖
C) ―Are these medications safe to take during pregnancy?‖
D) ―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 drugs‖ unless 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.
6. After completing a course on pharmacology for nurses, what will the nurse know?
A) Everything necessary for safe and effective medication administration
B) Current pharmacologic therapy; the nurse will not require ongoing education for 5
years.
C) General drug information; the nurse can consult a drug guide for specific drug
information.
D) The drug actions that are associated with each classification of medication
Ans: 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 with because no nurse knows all medications.
Page 3
, 7. A nurse is instructing a pregnant patient concerning the potential risk to her fetus from a
Pregnancy Category B drug. What would the nurse inform the patient?
A) ―Adequate studies in pregnant women have demonstrated there is no risk to the
fetus.‖
B) ―Animal studies have not demonstrated a risk to the fetus, but there have been no
adequate studies in pregnant women.‖
C) ―Animal studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus, but there are no
adequate studies in pregnant women.‖
D) ―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 have not 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 the use of the drugs in pregnant women may outweigh potential risks.
8. 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 OTC drugs?
A) ―OTC drugs are safe and do not cause adverse effects if taken properly.‖
B) ―OTC drugs have been around for years and have not been tested by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA).‖
C) ―OTC drugs are different from any drugs available by prescription and cost less.‖
D) ―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 harm if 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 originally been prescription drugs that were tested
by the FDA or they may have been grandfathered in when the FDA laws changed. OTC
education should always be included as a part of the hospital discharge instructions.
Page 4
