Question 1

The nurse is conducting medication education for patients with hypertension. The focus of the education is on enhancing the absorption of their medications. The nurse determines that learning has occurred when the patients make which statement?

Accepted Answer

Certain foods can interfere with the absorption of medications, so patients need to be cautious about what they consume when taking their medication.

Question 2

The physician ordered a loading dose of medication for the patient; it is to be followed by a lower dose. When the patient receives the lower dose, she says to the nurse, "I think my doctor made a mistake; my medication dose is too low." What is the best response by the nurse?

Accepted Answer

The initial larger dose, known as a loading dose, is given to quickly achieve therapeutic levels of the medication in the body. The subsequent lower doses maintain this level.

Question 3

The nursing instructor is teaching pharmacology to student nurses. What will the nursing instructor include as the four major components of pharmacokinetics?

Accepted Answer

The four major components of pharmacokinetics are absorption (A), metabolism (B), distribution (D), and excretion (E). These processes describe how drugs move into, through, and out of the body.

Question 4

The patient is scheduled to receive a medication that is an enzyme inducer of the P450 system. What best describes the effect of this medication on the patient?

Accepted Answer

Enzyme inducers of the P450 system increase the metabolism of drugs, leading to a reduced effect of the medication over time as the body becomes more efficient at breaking it down.

Question 5

The patient tells the nurse that he is on many medications and questions how they all get to the right places. What are the best responses by the nurse?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The patient tells the nurse that he...

Question 6

Following ingestion, a drug crosses a membrane from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

Diffusion is the process by which molecules move from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration across a membrane.

Question 7

Which statement regarding medication distribution within the body is accurate?

Accepted Answer

Lipid-soluble medications can easily cross cell membranes, allowing for more complete distribution throughout the body.

Question 8

Enzymatic activity that changes a medication into a less active form is an example of

Accepted Answer

Pharmacokinetics involves the processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs, including the enzymatic activity that metabolizes a medication into a less active form.

Question 9

The patient comes to the emergency department following an overdose of aspirin, an acidic drug. What will the best plan of the nurse include?

Accepted Answer

Sodium bicarbonate is administered to alkalinize the urine, which helps to increase the excretion of aspirin, an acidic drug, by ion trapping.

Question 10

The patient has meningitis. The physician initially prescribed a water-soluble drug. Another physician changed the order to a lipid-soluble drug. The patient is confused about this. Which plan best resolves the patient's concern?

Accepted Answer

Lipid-soluble drugs can cross the blood-brain barrier more effectively, making them more suitable for treating central nervous system infections like meningitis.

Question 11

The patient is admitted to the hospital in chronic renal failure and is on several medications. What best describes the nurse's assessment of this patient?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The patient is admitted to the hospital...

Question 12

The patient is complaining of a severe headache. The physician orders aspirin. Which action by the nurse will result in the fastest relief of the patient's headache?

Accepted Answer

Administering aspirin on an empty stomach allows for faster absorption into the bloodstream, leading to quicker relief of symptoms.

Question 13

Aspirin is ionized as it enters the small intestine. Which statement is accurate regarding the absorption of aspirin in the small intestine?

Accepted Answer

Ionization decreases the lipid solubility of aspirin, making it less able to cross the lipid-rich cell membranes of the small intestine, thus decreasing absorption.

Question 14

Which of the following are the four categories of pharmacokinetics?

Accepted Answer

Pharmacokinetics involves the study of how a drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted from the body. These are the four main categories that describe the movement of drugs within the body.

Question 15

The nursing mother asks the nurse if it is all right to take St. John's wort for mild depression. What is the best response by the nurse?

Accepted Answer

St. John's wort can be excreted in breast milk and may affect the baby, so it is generally advised to avoid it while nursing.

Question 16

The patient is malnourished and has a low serum albumin. The physician has ordered aspirin, a highly protein-bound drug, for the patient. Which evaluation by the nurse best describes the effect this will have on the patient?

Accepted Answer

A low serum albumin level means there are fewer binding sites for the aspirin, leading to more free drug in the bloodstream, increasing the risk of toxicity.

Question 17

The nurse administers medications by various routes of delivery. The nurse recognizes which route of administration as requiring higher dosages of drugs to achieve a therapeutic effect?

Accepted Answer

The oral route often requires higher dosages because drugs must pass through the digestive system and undergo first-pass metabolism in the liver, which can reduce the amount of active drug that reaches systemic circulation.

Question 18

The patient receives a drug that is excreted in the bile. What will the best nursing assessment of the effect of this drug on the patient include?

Accepted Answer

Drugs excreted in the bile can undergo enterohepatic recirculation, which can prolong their action in the body.

Question 19

The patient is receiving lithium (Eskalith) and asks the nurse why he has to have blood drawn so often. What is the best response by the nurse?

Accepted Answer

Lithium has a narrow therapeutic range, so frequent blood tests are necessary to ensure that the drug concentration remains within the safe and effective range, preventing toxicity or subtherapeutic levels.

Question 20

Which organ is the most responsible for the first-pass effect?

Accepted Answer

The liver is the primary organ responsible for the first-pass effect, where it metabolizes drugs before they reach systemic circulation.

Quiz 4: Pharmacokinetics