The nursing students are learning about the half-life of drugs. A student asks the instructor to explain half-life. What is the instructor's best response?
- A. Half-life of a drug is the time it takes for the amount of drug in the body to decrease to half of the peak level it previously achieved.
- B. Half-life is the amount of time it takes for the drug to be metabolized by the body.
- C. Half-life is the amount of time it takes for half of the drug to reach peak level in the body.
- D. Half-life of a drug is the time it takes for the drug to reach half its potential peak level in the body.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The half-life of a drug is the time it takes for the amount of drug in the body to decrease to half the peak level it previously achieved. Therefore Options B, C, and D are not correct.
You may also like to solve these questions
Monitoring for a patient being prescribed iron for iron deficiency anemia includes:
- A. Reticulocyte count 1 week after therapy is started
- B. Complete blood count every 2 weeks throughout therapy
- C. Hemoglobin level at 1 week of therapy
- D. INR weekly throughout therapy
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Reticulocyte count at 1 week assesses iron therapy response; CBC or hemoglobin checks are later, and INR is irrelevant.
Cost-effectiveness analysis compares two or more treatments or programs that are:
- A. Not necessarily therapeutically equivalent
- B. Considered equal in efficacy
- C. Compared with the dollar value of the benefit received
- D. Expressed in terms of patient preference or quality-adjusted life years
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Cost-effectiveness analysis evaluates treatments that may differ in efficacy.
Infants and young children are at higher risk of ADRs due to:
- A. Immature renal function in school-age children
- B. Lack of safety and efficacy studies in the pediatric population
- C. Children's skin being thicker than adults, it is less likely to absorb dosages of topical medication
- D. Infant boys having a higher proportion of muscle mass, leading to a higher volume of distribution
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Lack of pediatric studies increases ADR risk due to unestablished safety/efficacy, unlike renal maturity , skin thickness (C, false), or muscle mass (D, false).
The nurse knows that which medication requires monitoring of thyroid function?
- A. Dofetilide
- B. Amiodarone
- C. Sotalol
- D. Flecainide
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Amiodarone can cause hypo- or hyperthyroidism due to its iodine content, necessitating thyroid function monitoring.
A nurse is reading a journal article about seasonal allergies and comes across the name of the drug loratadine. The nurse identifies this drug name as which of the following?
- A. Chemical
- B. Generic
- C. Trade
- D. Brand
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The generic name is the name given to a drug that can be made or marketed by any company and is the name given to the drug by the FDA. The chemical name is the scientific term that describes the molecular structure of the drugs, typically the chemical components. The trade or brand name of the drug is the name selected by a specific company for marketing purposes and is followed by a trademark symbol or registered trademark symbol.