Pharmacology Unit 1

A nurse is conducting an assessment of a client who has recently had several changes made to the drug regimen. What assessment question most directly addresses the safety implication of the client's drug regimen?

"Do you take any herbal supplements or alternative medications?"

What statement would indicate that a mother is administering the incorrect dosage of liquid medication to her child?

"I use a household teaspoon to administer the medication."

A nurse is teaching a client about the medication regimen surrounding fluoroquinolones. Which of the following statements made by the client would indicate the need for additional education?

"I will limit my fluid intake."

A client recently discovered that she is pregnant. She currently takes herbal medications to control her diabetes and the symptoms related to pregnancy. She asks the nurse if it is safe to take herbal medications while she is pregnant. What would the nurse tell this client?

"most herbal and dietary supplements should be avoided during pregnancy or lactation."

The nurse is giving discharge instructions to a woman who has been prescribe tetracycline and also uses oral contraceptives. What is the most important instruction the nurse will give to this client?

"you should use alternative means of contraception while you are taking tetracycline."

The nurse is administering a drug to a client that has a half-life of approximately 36 hours. The nurse knows that this drug will be administered every:

24 hours

What are sulfonamides classified as?

Antibacterial

A patient has been prescribed doxycycline (Vibramycin). Which of the following teaching instructions is important with this medication?

Avoid sun exposure

A 49-year-old client is diagnosed with TB. The client has a history of alcoholism but has been sober for 3 months now. The client has been prescribed INH. What should the nurse ensure is obtained before initiating the therapy?

Baseline liver function test values

A physician has ordered subcutaneous injections of morphine, a narcotic, every 4 hours as needed for pain for a motor vehicle accident victim. The nurse is aware that there is a high abuse potential for this drug and that it is categorized as a:

C-II drug

Which Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pregnancy category indicates that animal studies on the drug have shown adverse fetal effects, but there are no adequate studies in humans?

Category C

A nurse receives an order to administer a critically ill patient two drugs immediately (stat). The nurse begins the process by:

Consulting a drug guide for compatibility

What must be taken into consideration when an antibiotic is chosen?

Culture and sensitivity test results

A patient has been prescribed a tetracycline drug for Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The patient also takes antacids. Which of the following effects is likely to occur due to an interaction between the two drugs?

Decreased absorption of tetracycline

Protein binding has which of the following effects on drug action?

Decreases speed of action

A nurse is aware that older adults tend to have a significantly decreased rate of hepatic blood flow compared with younger adults. What effect is this likely to have on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in an older adult?

Drug clearance is likely to be slower

An elderly client who is supposed to take a large calcium tablet every day objects because it is difficult to swallow the tablet without choking. What is the most helpful action an attending nurse can take in this situation?

Find the most concentrated form of the same dose.

The nurse dispensing medications to clients knows that medications have various names. What is the medication name most physicians use to prescribe drugs?

Generic name

A client is being treated with Dilantin for the treatment of seizures. What should the nurse monitor to prevent toxic reactions to drugs in a client?

Monitor client's blood level of the drug

A 73-year-old client has been given metoclopramine to take before meals. The client tells the nurse that the client has noticed tremors of the hands and the head has been shaking. What does the nurse understand may be occurring?

Parkinsonian effects from the metoclopramide

During drug evaluation, chemicals that may have therapeutic value are tested on lab animals and would be considered in which stage of development?

Preclinical

A nurse is preparing the medial history report of a patient with a urinary tract infection. Which of the following conditions should the nurse identify as one in which the use of cephalosporins is restricted?

Renal disease

The nurse is preparing to administer amikacin to a client with a complicated Staphylococcus aureus infection. What assessment should the nurse prioritize?

Renal function

A nurse is assigned to care for a client in a health care facility. What is the nursing responsibility before administering a drug to the client?

Review the subjective and objective data.

All drugs have adverse reactions when taken. Organ and tissue damage is one such adverse reaction. Which is an example of organ and tissue damage caused by a drug?

Stevens-Johnson Syndrome

A 70-year-old man who enjoys good health began taking low-dose aspirin several months ago based on recommendations that he read in a magazine article. During the man's most recent visit to his care provider, routine blood work was ordered and the results indicated an unprecedented rise in the man's serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels. How should a nurse best interpret these findings?

The man may be experiencing nephrotoxic effects of aspirin

The nurse identifies which of the following as the correct method to instill ear drops in the adult patient?

The nurse pulls the pinna of the ear up and back.

The nurse is caring for a 23-year-old female client who uses oral contraceptives and has been prescribed ampicillin for treatment of a respiratory infection. What information is most important for the nurse to share with this client?

Use a type of barrier birth control while you are taking this antibiotic.

A 67-year-old man is admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. He reports to the nurse that he has chronic arthritis and circulation problems. The client has a history of mild hypertension. He explains that he owns a business and lives alone. The nurse determines that he is within the normal weight range for his height and age but has a fondness for spicy foods and sweets. Which of the mentioned patient variables will have the greatest impact on the effectiveness of the client's drug therapy?

Vascular impairment

The nurse is caring for a client receiving an aminoglycoside (antibiotic) that can be nephrotoxic. Which will alert the nurse that the client may be experiencing nephrotoxicity?

a decrease in urine output

A female client has a 12-year history of ETOH abuse. The client is injured in a motor vehicle accident and requires surgery with general anesthesia. What would the nurse expect for this client?

a larger-than-normal dose of general anesthetic

To determine a client's self-care ability, it is most important for the nurse to perform what step of the nursing process?

assessment

Antibiotic drugs are commonly used in the pediatric population. Why would the tetracyclines be contraindicated in children younger than 8 years of age?

because of the drugs effects on teeth and bone

During a health interview, a client tells the nurse about taking ginkgo for memory improvement. For which conditions should the nurse assess related to this information?

bleeding

A patient is taking rifampin (Rifadin) for active TB. When discussing this drug with the patient, the nurse should stress that

body fluids such as urine, saliva, tears and sputum may become discolored.

After reviewing the various frequently abused street drugs, a group of students demonstrates understanging of the information when they identify gamma-hydroxybutyrate as which class?

depressant

The nurse who is working in the emergency department admits a 14-year-old who is exhibiting blurred vision, confusion, impaired breathing, muscle twitches, irregular heartbeat, and excessive sweating. The client's friends says that the client bough a lot of cough syrup and has been drinking it all day. The nurse understands that the client has overdosed on what over-the-counter medication?

dextromethorphan

The nursing student is studying how tuberculosis (TB) is contracted. The nurse correctly identifies the mode of transmission to be which of the following?

droplets

A nurse has admitted a client diagnosed with substance abuse intoxication to the unit. The nursing assessment will first be directed toward data regarding:

drug use

When determining if the client understands teaching, what step of the nursing process is the nurse performing?

evaluation

A child has just returned home from a family vacation on a tropical island and is now reporting worsening tenderness in the right ear. The client is subsequently diagnosed with otitis externa. What causative factor of this infection should the nurse suspect?

frequent swimming and water sports while the child was on vacation.

The clinic nurse is assessing a client who reports taking ginseng recently. Which condition would the nurse take special care to check for in this client?

hypoglycemiade

How are nursing diagnoses developed by the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) most useful?

identifying problems related to drug therapy

The client has been prescribed a fluoroquinolone. The nurse knows that nursing interventions for clients taking fluroquinolones include to:

increase fluid intake

A client is prescribed cefazolin for a sinus infection. After administration of the first dose of the medication, the client reports itching. The nursing assessment reveals a rash all over the client's torso; the client has a history of allergic reaction to penicillin. The client:

is experiencing and allergic reaction caused by a cross-sensitivity reaction.

Heroin is classified as which type of street drug?

opioid

A patient has been admitted to the critical care unit with a diagnosis of peritonitis that has necessitated treatment with gentamicin. As a result, the care team should be cautious when concurrently administering other medications that may cause

otoxoicity or nephrotoxicity.

A 72-year-old female client patient is started on trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for treatment of a urinary tract infection. Prior to administering this drug, the nurse should assess the patient for which of the following conditions?

renal impairment

A nurse is caring for a patient who has a serious infection. The patient is being treated with combination therapy of a cefazolin and aminoglycoside. The nurse will be sure to monitor which of the following?

serum BUN and creatinine levels

Using the nursing process in medication therapy ensures that:

there is efficient and effective care