Pharmacology Basics
What science studies drugs and their interactions with living systems?
Pharmacology
What is the most important property a drug can have?
Effectiveness
How many “Rights” of medication administration are listed?
Eight
What does pharmacokinetics study?
Drug movement throughout the body
What protein most commonly binds drugs in plasma?
Albumin
What term describes the study of drugs in humans?
Clinical pharmacology
A drug that cannot produce harmful effects demonstrates what property?
Safety
Which “Right” allows a patient to decline medication?
Right to refuse
Which pharmacokinetic phase determines how soon effects begin?
Absorption
What barrier protects the CNS and limits drug entry?
Blood-brain barrier
What is the use of drugs to diagnose, prevent, or treat disease called?
Therapeutics (pharmacotherapeutics)
A drug that produces only the desired response demonstrates what property?
Selectivity
Name three high-risk patient factors nurses must assess.
Liver/kidney impairment, genetics, pregnancy, age, drug allergies
What rule explains why lipid-soluble drugs cross membranes easily?
Like dissolves like
Name three routes of drug excretion
Urine, bile, lungs, sweat, saliva, breast milk
What term describes any chemical that can affect living processes?
Drug
Give two additional properties of an ideal drug.
Predictability, reversible action, ease of administration, low cost, chemical stability, no interactions
Why is collecting baseline data essential?
To evaluate therapeutic responses and adverse effects
Where does most drug metabolism occur?
Liver
What are the three steps of renal drug excretion?
Glomerular filtration, tubular reabsorption, tubular secretion
Name four disciplines pharmacology draws from
Anatomy, physiology, psychology, chemistry, microbiology (any four)
What is the overall therapeutic objective of drug therapy?
To provide maximum benefit with minimum harm
Why is the nurse considered the “last line of defense” against medication errors?
The nurse administers the medication after all other processing steps
What process involves drug cycling from liver → bile → intestine → back to liver?
Enterohepatic recirculation
What factors modify renal drug excretion?
Age, pH-dependent ionization, competition for transport, renal function