introduction to Pharmacology

A patient is prescribed a new medication. The nurse is aware that the pharmacokinetics of the drug describes:

• How the drug affects the body.

• The study of the drug's therapeutic uses.

• How the body handles the drug, including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.

• The study of drug side effects.

When a patient's body becomes accustomed to a drug over time, requiring larger doses to achieve the same effect, this is known as:

• Allergic reaction

• Drug dependence

• Tolerance

• Contra-indication

The term for the study of the cost-effectiveness of drug treatments is:

• Pharmacovigilance

• Pharmacoeconomics

• Pharmacognosy

• Pharmacotherapy

A nurse administers a medication to a patient. The nurse knows that the bioavailability of the drug is the percentage of the dose that reaches the:

• Site of action.

• Kidneys for excretion.

• Liver for metabolism.

• Bloodstream for distribution.

Which of the following describes the relationship between a drug's lethal dose and its effective dose?

• Half-life

• Potency

• Therapeutic index

• Bioavailability

An unintended and noxious response to a drug at normal doses is called a(n):

• Side effect

• Adverse drug reaction

• Idiosyncratic reaction

• Allergic reaction

A nurse notes that a patient is prescribed two drugs that, when taken together, produce an effect greater than the sum of each drug given alone. This is an example of:

• Antagonistic effect

• Additive effect

• Synergistic effect

• Displacement effect

A nurse is educating a patient about a new medication. The nurse should explain that the drug's half-life is the time it takes for the drug's plasma concentration to:

• Reach its peak effect.

• Fall by half.

• Be completely eliminated from the body.

• Start producing a therapeutic response.

A patient has an allergic reaction to a drug. The nurse understands that this type of reaction is the body's immunological response and:

• Is genetically determined.

• Occurs during the first exposure to the drug.

• Is always life-threatening.

• Does not occur during the first exposure to the drug.

A drug given to a patient who is unconscious and experiencing excessive vomiting would most likely be administered via which route?

• Oral

• Sublingual

• Rectal

• Intradermal