Module 1- Basics of Pharmacology
Therapeutics: the prevention of disease and treatment of suffering. 6
General questions
(assessment, Pharmacotherapy: the application of drugs for the purpose of treating
priority, diseases and alleviating human suffering.
evaluation, Before administering pain medication, always assess pain
education, non-
pharm, etc.)
Things to -
If given a stat order, RN has 5 minutes to implement the order
Remember
If giving enteral drugs, assess pt ability to SWALLOW If pt
is allergic to medication prescribed by provider, HOLD
medication
Fecal blood occult testing tests for blood in the stool
NEVER crush enteric coated pills
Trade vs. 1
Generic name: nonproprietary name of a drug assigned by the question
Generic Name government (US Adopted Name Council) *always lowercase*
Ex: acetaminophen
Trade name: proprietary name of a drug-assigned by the
manufacturer (brand name or product name) *always capitalized*
Ex: Tylenol
Half-Life 2
The description of a drug's duration of action- the time it takes for the questions
drug amount to reduce by half in the body
Adenosine: 3-10 seconds
Felodipine: 10 hours
Side Effects/ 5
Adverse Effects/
Black Box Warning: an adverse event of a medication that can cause questions
Black Box serious injury or death
Warnings Side effects: non-therapeutic response to a drug, can be expected
Adverse effects: harmful and unexpected responses to a drug
, First Pass Oral drugs can be metabolized by the liver before reaching the target 1
question
Effect cells
You have a dose of 10mg to give to a pt
Option 1: give it PO and the patient receives 5mg of the drug
Option 2: give it another way and the pt receives all 10mg of the drug
Avoid first pass effect by giving medication IV
Medication 6 Rights: 5
questions
Administration 1. Right Patient
2. Right Medication
3. Right Dose
4. Right Time
5. Right Route
6. Right Documentation
Routes of Administration
Enteral (entering digestive system)
➔ Oral: disadvantage- first pass effect
Parenteral (bypassing the digestive system
➔ Sublingual or buccal
➔ Inhalation
➔ Intradermal, subq, IM
➔ Intravenous: disadvantage- immediate reaction, more susceptible to
harmful effects from wrong dose or reaction
*If med error occurs, priority is to assess the client, pt safety*
Drug 1
Therapeutic classification: organizing drugs on their clinical question
Classification
usefulness in treating particular diseases or disorders
Pharmacologic classification: organizing drugs based on their
mechanism of action
Incorrect medication administration can lead to adverse effects or 1
Med Admin question
and Organ medication toxicity
Failure