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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
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: 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.
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Which lab test(s) would be used to assess liver and/or renal function before administering medications? (Select one that does not apply.)
- A. CBC
- B. LDH
- C. ALT
- D. Crs
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Liver function tests include LDH (lactic dehydrogenase) and ALT (alanine aminotransferase). Renal function tests include Crs (serum creatinine) and BUN (blood urea nitrogen). Although a CBC (complete blood count) and an aPTT are useful in assessing the patient before administration of medication, they are not renal or hepatic function tests.
The first step in the prescribing process according to the World Health Organization is:
- A. Choosing the treatment
- B. Educating the patient about the medication
- C. Diagnosing the patient's problem
- D. Starting the treatment
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The WHO prescribing process begins with diagnosing the problem to ensure treatment aligns with the condition, followed by choosing therapy and education.
A nurse is preparing to perform a follow-up assessment on a client who takes Chlorpromazine for the treatment of Schizophrenia. The nurse should expect to find the greatest improvement in which of the following manifestations?(Select one that does not apply.)
- A. Disorganized speech
- B. Bizarre behavior
- C. Impaired social interactions
- D. Hallucinations
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Chlorpromazine improves positive symptoms like speech , behavior , and hallucinations , less so negative symptoms.
While collecting a medication history, the patient admits to doubling the recommended dosage of an over-the-counter (OTC) medication, saying It's harmless or they would require a prescription. What is the nurse's best response?
- A. OTC drugs are serious medications and carry serious risks if not taken as directed.
- B. Taking medications like that is careless and you could kill yourself doing it.
- C. Sometimes you need to take more than the package directs to treat the symptoms.
- D. Did you notify your doctor of the increased dosage you were taking?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: OTC drugs are no less a medication than prescription drugs and carry the same types of risks for overdosage and toxicity if directions are not followed. Although increasing the dosage is careless and dangerous, it is important to use the information as a teaching opportunity rather than scolding the patient. Agreeing with the patient or asking her if she talked to the doctor misses the teaching opportunity, which could be harmful for the patient.
Drugs do not metabolize the same way in all people. For what patient would a nurse expect to assess for an alteration in drug metabolism?
- A. A 35-year-old woman with cervical cancer
- B. A 41-year-old man with kidney stones
- C. A 50-year-old man with cirrhosis of the liver
- D. A 62-year-old woman in acute renal failure
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The liver is the most important site of drug metabolism. If the liver is not functioning effectively, as in patients with cirrhosis, drugs will not metabolize normally so that toxic levels could develop unless dosage is reduced. A patient with cervical cancer or kidney stones would not be expected to have altered ability to metabolize drugs so long as no liver damage existed. The patient with renal failure would have altered excretion of the drugs through the renal system but metabolism would not be impacted.