Detailed Answers and Rationales | Graded A+
compliance Implementation or fulfillment of a prescriber's or caregiver's prescribed course of
treatment or therapeutic plan by a patient.
medication error Any preventable adverse drug event involving inappropriate medication
use by a patient or health care professional; it may or may not cause the patient harm.
Noncompliance An informed decision on the part of the patient not to adhere to or follow a
therapeutic plan or suggestion.
Nursing Process -research-supported organizational framework
-delivery of thorough, individualized, and quality care
-requires critical thinking
-ongoing & constantly evolving
Outcomes Descriptions of specific patient behaviors or responses that demonstrate meeting
of or achievement of behaviors related to each nursing diagnosis. These statements are specific
while framed in behavioral terms and are measurable.
Prescriber Any health care professional licensed by the appropriate regulatory board to
prescribe medications.
nine rights of medication administration right drug
right dose
right time
right route/form
right patient
right documentation
right reason/indication
right response
right to refuse
QSEN (Quality and Safety Education for Nurses) -initiated 2005
prepare future nurses with KSA (knowledge, skills, & attitudes
major initiatives of QSEN -patient centered care
-teamwork & collaboration
-evidence based practice
-quality improvement
-safety
-informatics
IPEC (Interprofessional Education Collaboration) -formed 2009
-develop core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice
-improve health outcomes
medication profile assessment -any & all drug use
-prescriptions
-over-the-counter medications
-vitamins, herbs, & supplements
-compliance & adherence
, Additive effects Drug interactions in which the effect of a combination of two or more
drugs with similar actions is equivalent to the sum of the individual effects of the same drugs
given alone.
Adverse drug event any undesirable occurrence related to administering or failing to
administer a prescribed medication
Adverse drug reactionany unexpected, unintended, undesired, or excessive response to a
medication given at therapeutic dosages (as opposed to overdose)
Adverse effects A general term for any undesirable effects that are a direct response to
one or more drugs.
Agonist drug binds to the receptor; there is a response
Allergic reaction An immunologic hypersensitivity reaction resulting from the unusual
sensitivity of a patient to a particular medication; a type of adverse drug event.
Antagonist drug binds to the receptor, there is no response
drug prevents binding of agonists
Antagonistic effects Drug interactions in which the effect of a combination of two or more
drugs is less than the sum of the individual effects of the same drugs given. It is usually caused
by an antagonizing (blocking or reducing) effect of one drug on another.
Bioavailability A measure of the extent of drug absorption for a given drug and route (from 0%
to 100%).
Biotransformation One or more biochemical reactions involving a parent drug; occurs mainly
in the liver and produces a metabolite that is either inactive or active. Also known as
metabolism.
blood-brain barrier The barrier system that restricts the passage of various chemicals and
microscopic entities (e.g., bacteria, viruses) between the bloodstream and the central nervous
system. It still allows for the passage of essential substances such as oxygen.
Chemical name The name that describes the chemical composition and molecular
structure of a drug.
Contraindication Any condition, especially one related to a disease state or patient
characteristic, including current or recent drug therapy, which renders a particular form of
treatment improper or undesirable.
Cytochrome P450 -The general name for a large class of enzymes that play a significant role
in drug metabolism and drug interactions.
-mainly target lipid-soluable drugs
Dependence A state in which there is a compulsive or chronic need, as for a drug
Dissolution The process by which solid forms of drugs disintegrate in the gastrointestinal
tract and become soluble before being absorbed into the circulation.
Drug any chemical that affects the physiologic processes of a living organism
Drug actions The processes involved in the interaction between a drug and body cells (e.g.,
the action of a drug on a receptor protein); also called mechanism of action.
Drug classification A method of grouping drugs; may be based on structure or therapeutic
use.
Drug effects The physiologic reactions of the body to a drug. They can be therapeutic or toxic
and describe how the body is affected as a whole by the drug.