C HAPTER 01 - I NTRODUCTION TO D RUGS
Test Bank - Focus on Nursing Pharmacology (8th Edition by Karch)
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 immuni zation. 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 nu rse 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 intram uscular (IM) injections of morphine, a narcotic,
every 4 hours as neededfor 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 liabilit y. 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 liabilit y.
3. When involved in phase III drug evaluation studies, what responsibilities
would the nurse have?
a. Working with animals who ar e 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 Administra tion (FDA) but
would not conduct research independentl y 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 closel y for drug action and adverse effects. Phase I
studies involve healthy human volunteers who are usuall y paid for their
participation. Nurses may observe for adv erse effects and toxicit y.
4. What concept is considered when generic drugs are substituted for brand name
drugs?
a. Bioavailabilit y
b. Critical concentration
c. Distribution
d. Half-life
Ans: A
Feedback:
Bioavailabilit y is the portion of a dose of a drug that reach es 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.
5. A nurse is assessing the patient’s home medication use. After listening to the
patient list current medications, the nurse asks what priorit y question?
a. Do you take any generic medications?
b. Are any of these medications orphan drugs?
, c. Are these medications safe to take duri ng 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
unlikel y to know the meaning of orphan drugs unless they too are health care
providers. Safet y 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 w ishes 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 gen eral 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 constantl y changing, with
new drugs entering the market a nd new uses for existing drugs identified.
Continuing education in pharmacology is essential to safe practice. Nurses
Test Bank - Focus on Nursing Pharmacology (8th Edition by Karch)
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 immuni zation. 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 nu rse 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 intram uscular (IM) injections of morphine, a narcotic,
every 4 hours as neededfor 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 liabilit y. 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 liabilit y.
3. When involved in phase III drug evaluation studies, what responsibilities
would the nurse have?
a. Working with animals who ar e 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 Administra tion (FDA) but
would not conduct research independentl y 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 closel y for drug action and adverse effects. Phase I
studies involve healthy human volunteers who are usuall y paid for their
participation. Nurses may observe for adv erse effects and toxicit y.
4. What concept is considered when generic drugs are substituted for brand name
drugs?
a. Bioavailabilit y
b. Critical concentration
c. Distribution
d. Half-life
Ans: A
Feedback:
Bioavailabilit y is the portion of a dose of a drug that reach es 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.
5. A nurse is assessing the patient’s home medication use. After listening to the
patient list current medications, the nurse asks what priorit y question?
a. Do you take any generic medications?
b. Are any of these medications orphan drugs?
, c. Are these medications safe to take duri ng 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
unlikel y to know the meaning of orphan drugs unless they too are health care
providers. Safet y 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 w ishes 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 gen eral 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 constantl y changing, with
new drugs entering the market a nd new uses for existing drugs identified.
Continuing education in pharmacology is essential to safe practice. Nurses
