Introduction
A. Basic terms
Nurses use pharmaco-therapeutics daily
o Understand pharmacology
o Substance use- causes cellular changes and then cause a
o Reaction-(hope) be a positive reaction
Pharmacokinetics: what the body does to the drug
Pharmacodynamics: what drug does to the body
Understand side effects/adverse reactions
And drug chemistries such as: half-lives/therapeutic index
B. Drug properties
Efficacy: maximal response drug can produce
Potency: index of how much to give for desired response
Drug (Characteristics): (3)
o Effectiveness- Drug does what it is intended to do
Most important properties
U.S. Laws require to be proven effective before released for use
o Safety Does no harm, even if given at high doses for a long time (there is no drug safe at that level)
Proper dosing and selection should reduce the adverse effects
o Selectivity only produces the outcomes intended. There are no side effects
Know how to administer and signs to watch for
“There is not thing as a safe and selective drug”
There is laws and rules to protect the patient
C. Therapeutic objective
GOAL FOR DRUG USE: Provide maximum benefit with minimum harm
Other factors for drug selection:
o Administration ease
o Stability
o Cost
D. Drug intensity (factors):
Administration dosage size, route and timing are critical (medication errors, patient adherence)
Pharmacokinetics the impact of the body on drugs (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion)
Pharmacodynamics Determines the responses a drug elicits (drug receptor interaction, patient’s functional state,
placebo effects all determine drug elicited responses)
Characteristics specific to each patient gender, age, weight, mayor organ function & potency of drug administered
II. Pharmacology applied in nursing practice
A. Nursing responsibility (roles of the nurse)
The 6 rights of medication administration
Goal for drug use: Promote benefits and minimize harm
You just don’t give the medication with the 6 rights
Must anticipate patient reactions
Recognize when they occur and respond to them efficiently and appropriately
Must know drug for the patient
Contraindications for a positive therapeutic outcome
Patient education
B. Pharmacology and patient care
6 Rights of medication administration
o right medication
o right dose
o right frequency
o right route
o right patient
o right documentation (6th)
C. Patient education (WHAT TO INCLUDE WHEN EDUCATING YOUR PATIENT)
Name and therapeutic category drug
Dosage size, dosing schedule and route of administration
Expected therapeutic responses
Nondrug measure enhance responses
Duration of treatment/ drug storage
Symptoms of adverse effects
How to minimize discomfort
Major drug-drug/drug-food interactions
Whom to contact when things go wrong; therapeutic failure, severe adverse reactions or interactions
D. Nursing process and drug therapy
III.Drug regulation
A. Landmark legislation
Chemical name chemical nomenclature
Generic name (nonproprietary) US adopted names council
Trade name (proprietary) drug market names
B. Drug nomenclaturechemical nomenclature
C. OTC drugs
IV.Pharmacokinetics what the body does to medications once they get into the body and all metabolites have left the body
A. Membrane passage
B. Phases
C. Absorption movement of the drug form the site of administration into the blood for distribution into the tissues.
Factors that affect absorption
o Rate of dissolution the drug must dissolve
o Surface area available for absorption
o Blood flow
o Lipid solubility
o pH partitioning
Routes of administrationroutes the drug moves to be absorbed
o Enteral—GI tract: oral
o Parenteral—Outside GI tract
Intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous
D. Distribution movement of drugs through the body, to its site of action (needed)
To occur there must be adequate blood flow to the tissues
Blood must be able to exit vascular system and enter cells- to reach site of action, metabolize and excrete
E. Metabolism (biotransformation) is the enzymatic alteration of drug’s structure (break down drug)
Takes place in the liver cytochrome P-450 enzymes (microsomal enzymes)
There are 6 possible consequences of therapeutic significance in drug metabolism (REFER TO TEXTBOOK)
Factors that influence the rate of drug metabolism:
o Age
o Induction of drug metabolism enzymes
o First-pass effect (hepatic inactivation of some oral drugs)
o Nutritional status
o Competition between drugs
F. Excretion removal of drugs from the body. May occur in the:
Urine, bile, sweat, saliva, breast milk and expired air
The primary organ responsible for elimination is the kidney by glomerular filtration; and two other organs: liver,
bowel
G. LAST PHASE OF PHARMAKOKINETICS-Time/blood concentration
Last part of pharmacokinetics
Drug response is related to drug concentration levels
o It is not the drug levels in plasma that is important, but
o at certain levels the drug will be causing a desired effect
o at certain levels the drug will become toxic
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