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Pharma RLE Overview

The document discusses the nurse's responsibilities regarding drug administration and pharmacology. It defines key terms like drugs, drug therapy, and drug administration. It also describes the types of drug actions including therapeutic effects, side effects, adverse effects, toxic effects, allergic reactions, idiosyncratic reactions, carcinogenicity, and teratogenicity. The nurse is responsible for drug administration, assessment of effects, patient education, and monitoring the care plan to prevent medication errors.

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Nathaniel Pulido
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637 views10 pages

Pharma RLE Overview

The document discusses the nurse's responsibilities regarding drug administration and pharmacology. It defines key terms like drugs, drug therapy, and drug administration. It also describes the types of drug actions including therapeutic effects, side effects, adverse effects, toxic effects, allergic reactions, idiosyncratic reactions, carcinogenicity, and teratogenicity. The nurse is responsible for drug administration, assessment of effects, patient education, and monitoring the care plan to prevent medication errors.

Uploaded by

Nathaniel Pulido
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Pharmacology RLE Overview: Presents the general overview of the pharmacology-related learning experience.
  • Introduction: Discusses the administration of drugs as a fundamental component in nursing practice, including relevant responsibilities and legal considerations.
  • Module Topics: Outlines key subjects covered in the module, including drug definitions, actions, administration forms, and drug labeling.
  • Definitions: Clarifies essential pharmacological terms necessary for understanding medication use.
  • Types of Medication Actions: Examines various therapeutic effects, adverse effects, and reactions that medications can cause in patients.

Pharmacology RLE

OVERVIEW

bgdelostrinos
INTRODUCTION
Administration of drugs is a basic activity in nursing practice,
hence nurses should have knowledge about:
• drugs and their actions and how they are administered
• the clients’ reactions or response to certain drugs, including
allergies.
• their accountability for the safe administration of drugs.
• the components of a drug order and should question the
prescriber if the order is incomplete or if it is not clear.
• their legal liability if they administer drugs with incorrect
dosage or is contraindicated for the client status.
To summarize, the nurse has the following responsibilities
regarding drug therapy:

• administration of drugs
• assessment of drug effects
• interventions to make the drug regimen more tolerable
• provision of patient teaching about drugs and the drug
regimen
• monitor the overall patient care plan to prevent
medication error
Source: Focus on Nursing Pharmacology by Amy M. Karch
Topics in this module:
Overview:
•Definitions
•Types of drug actions
•Forms and routes of drug administration
•Understanding drug labels
10 rights of drug administration
Definitions:
Drugs: are chemical substances that have an effect on living organisms

Drug therapy: treatment with any substance, other than food to prevent,
diagnose treat or relieve symptoms of a disease or abnormal condition.

Therapeutic drugs, often called medicines, are those drugs used in the
prevention or treatment of diseases.

Drug administration (medication administration) – is the giving of a


therapeutic agent to a patient which aim is for the active components of the
medicine to reach the target site where it is intended to be effective
([Link])
Types of Medication Actions
• It is essential for the nurse to understand the effects
that medications can have when taken by or given to
clients. Factors other than the characteristics of the
medication can influence medication actions.
Medication dosages may cause different responses in
different clients.
Types of Medication Actions
Therapeutic Effect – is the expected or predictable or physiological response a
medication causes.
• it is important for the nurse to know for which therapeutic effect a medication
is prescribed
• this will allow the nurse to properly teach the client about the medication’s
intended effect.
Side Effects – are the unintended, secondary effects a medication can predictably
cause.
• side effects may be harmless or injurious
• medications are discontinued if the side effects will negate the therapeutic
effects of the medication
• some clients stop taking the medications because of the side effects
Types of Medication Actions
Adverse Effects – are generally considered severe responses to
medication
• when adverse effects occur, they are immediately reported to the
physician and discontinued.
Toxic Effects – may develop after prolonged intake of a medication or
when a medication accumulates in the blood because of impaired
metabolism or excretion.
• the dosage is the most important factor. Excess amounts of a
medication in the body may be harmful and may be sufficient to
cause death
Types of Medication Actions
Allergic Reactions – another unpredictable response to medications.
• also known as hypersensitivity reactions
• It is an abnormal reaction of the immune system to a medication.
• the most common symptoms of drug allergy are hives, rash or fever
• it can be mild or severe, depending on the individual and the
medication
• antibiotics cause a high incidence of allergic reactions
Types of Medication Actions
Idiosyncratic Reactions – are unpredictable reactions in which a client
overreacts to a medication or has a reaction different from normal. This
type of reaction is usually the result of a patient’s inability to metabolize a
drug because of a genetic deficiency of certain enzymes.
Example: a client given an antihistamine, instead of feeling drowsy, he
becomes agitated.
Carcinogenecity – is the ability of the drug to induce living cells to mutate
and become cancerous.
Teratogen – a drug that induces birth defects. Fetal organs of the
body are particularly susceptible to malformation if they are exposed
to a drug while in the uterus

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