Deck 1: Introduction to Pharmacology: Concepts and Connections

Question 1

When a drug is ordered for a client,what is the nurse responsible for knowing and understanding about the drug?

A)Name,intended use,special considerations,and adverse effects
B)Drug classification,contraindications,adverse effects,gender considerations,and cost of therapy
C)Drug classification,contraindications,special considerations,and severity of adverse effects
D)Name,intended use,effects,contraindications,special considerations,and adverse effects

Answer 1

Name,intended use,effects,contraindications,special considerations,and adverse effects

Question 2

Chemical names are assigned for each drug.What are the major reasons for why nurses usually do not use the chemical name of the drugs?
Select all that apply.

A)They are usually not brief or easy to remember.
B)They are often difficult to pronounce.
C)There is no standard for assigning names.
D)They do not explain the nature of the drug.
E)There is only one chemical name for each drug.

Answer 2

They are usually not brief or easy to remember.
They are often difficult to pronounce.

Question 3

The trade name for a drug is usually selected to be short and easy to remember.What is the reason the nurse does not use the trade name for a drug?

A)There are no trade names for combination drugs.
B)A drug can have more than one trade name.
C)The trade name will expire and no longer be used.
D)A company might change the trade name for a drug.

Answer 3

A drug can have more than one trade name.

Question 4

A client is admitted to the emergency department with high blood pressure.The health care provider orders a diuretic and tells the client this medication will lower the blood pressure by decreasing intravascular fluid volume.What does this description address?
Select all that apply.

A)The drug's mechanism of action
B)The drug's pharmacologic classification
C)How the drug produces its effects in the body
D)The drug's therapeutic classification
E)What condition is being treated by the drug

Question 5

Which principle best describes what the nurse is expected to understand when administering medication to a client?

A)The pharmacotherapeutics for all of the medications
B)The most common side effects of the drug's prototype
C)The trade and generic names for all of the medications
D)The cost of the drug therapy

Question 6

Bioavailability can be different between the generic and trade versions of a drug.When is it not appropriate for a generic drug to be substituted for a trade version?

A)The trade version costs the same as the generic.
B)The time for onset of action is different between the generic and trade versions.
C)The inert ingredients are different in the generic and trade versions.
D)The drug is a critical care drug,or one with a narrow safety margin.

Question 7

Nursing students must memorize the generic names of drugs.What is the primary reason that generic names are used by health care providers over chemical and trade names?

A)A drug can have more than one chemical and trade name.
B)There is only one generic name for each drug,and it is easier to remember than the chemical name.
C)The trade names do not reflect the action of the drug as the generic name does.
D)Nursing students should actually strive to learn both the generic and trade names to avoid confusion with clients.

Question 8

The nurse is creating a teaching plan for a client on the cardiac unit and is researching the medications the client is currently taking to understand how each drug produces its effects in the body.To find this information,the nurse looks up which classification for each medication?

A)Therapeutic
B)Cardiac
C)Disease
D)Pharmacologic

Question 9

Although all areas of medicine,including pharmacology,have made great advances in the last century,the early roots of pharmacology still apply for the nurse and other health professionals.What were the early roots of pharmacology?

A)Applying products to relieve human suffering
B)Creating new drugs as quickly as possible
C)Finding medicinal alternatives to plants
D)Understanding how drugs take their effects

Question 10

A client is taking a medication for a condition whose indication is not listed and asks the nurse why the health care provider would prescribe this drug.Which response by the nurse is the most appropriate?

A)Some medications may be used for conditions for which they have not been approved.This is called an 'off-label' indication."
B)Some medications may be used as a prototype drug for a specific condition and are not listed in the nursing drug handbook."
C)A medication can only be used for the specific condition for which it was approved."
D)This is a generic drug,and not all generic drugs are in the nursing drug handbook.Only trade name drugs are listed."

Question 11

Which is one of the main reasons a pharmaceutical company might be granted an exclusive period to market and distribute a new drug?

A)It allows the company to recoup the cost of research and development.
B)It allows consumers to get used to the trade name of the drug.
C)It allows all the adverse effects to be discovered.
D)Without competition,consumer savings are significant.

Question 12

The client asks the charge nurse how the health care provider will decide which medication to prescribe.The nurses bases the response on which rationale regarding the ideal drug"?
Select all that apply.

A)Effectively treats,prevents,or cures the client's condition
B)Is not quickly eliminated by the body so that it can produce its effects over a prolonged period of time
C)Produces minimal adverse effects
D)Produces a rapid and predictable response
E)Is inexpensive and easily accessible

Question 13

The nurse is teaching a pharmacology class to a group of student nurses.Which key events does the nurse include in the history of pharmacology?
Select all that apply.

A)Early researchers used themselves and animals as test subjects.
B)Pharmacologists began to synthesize drugs in the laboratory in the 20th century.
C)Modern pharmacology began in the mid-1600s.
D)The first drugs included morphine,cocaine,and penicillin.
E)The Dark Ages provided much useful information that we still use today.

Question 14

The Food and Drug Administration classifies drugs by category,and these categories and drugs are found in the Orange Book." To find out which drugs treat hypertension,the nurse would look under which classification?

A)Cardiac
B)Pharmacologic
C)Disease
D)Therapeutic

Question 15

Although many substances can be considered drugs,which drug definition is the most appropriate?

A)Any substance that is found in nature or that normally occurs in the body
B)Any substance that is synthesized and tested in the laboratory setting
C)Any substance that is taken to prevent,cure,or reduce symptoms of a medical condition
D)Any substance that can be isolated from natural substances in nature

Question 16

After successfully completing the pharmacology course,a student nurse tells the instructor that he is glad this difficult course is finished.What is the best response from the nursing instructor?

A)It might be over,but now you will start your clinical courses and apply your knowledge."
B)If you think this course was hard,you should try the graduate level."
C)Learning is an ongoing process in pharmacology; we must continue to stay up to date."
D)Learning difficult material is always painful,but it is necessary."

Question 17

Before administering a drug,what pertinent information must the nurse obtain from the client?

A)Physical assessment,medical history,previous medications,and learning capabilities
B)Medical history,growth and development level of client,and ability to pay for the medication
C)Medical history,client's growth and development level,and potential adverse effects of the medication
D)Medical history,physical assessment,disease process,and learning needs

Question 18

A prototype drug is a single drug in a class and can be compared with all other medications in the class.What are the benefits for the nurse to studying the prototype drug in predicting characteristics of other drugs in the same class?
Select all that apply.

A)Which drugs have the most favorable safety profile
B)Their therapeutic indications
C)Their actions and adverse effects
D)Their specific clinical use
E)Contraindications specific to any drug in that group

Question 19

Pharmacotherapy is a critical intervention for many conditions,and a key part of nursing intervention.Which statement best describes pharmacotherapy?

A)The study of medicine and drug therapy
B)The application of natural substances to cure diseases
C)The application of drugs for the prevention and treatment of disease and human suffering
D)Understanding the difference between trade and generic medications

Question 20

Bioavailability of a drug can be affected by many factors.Which factor does not affect the bioavailability of a drug?

A)Inert ingredients
B)Rate of absorption
C)Safety margin
D)Tablet compression

Question 21

The client is receiving a new and expensive medication.The client asks the nurse why the medication is so expensive compared with other medications.What is the nurse's best response?

A)The drug companies spend too much money on marketing,and the cost gets passed on to you."
B)It is expensive,but your insurance company will probably pay for it."
C)These drugs are very expensive to develop and to bring to market."
D)I agree with you.You would think they could lower the cost of the drug."

Question 22

A client who received a refill for a medication returns to the pharmacy and says,This medication is wrong! It doesn't look anything like my usual prescription." Which response by the pharmacist would be most appropriate?
Select all that apply.

A)Your usual prescription drug is too expensive,so I substituted it with a generic one."
B)There is no difference between this drug and the one you usually get."
C)Our state allows me to substitute a generic drug when the prescription calls for a brand-name drug."
D)Don't worry.Can you see that the generic ingredients are exactly the same?"
E)This medication is a generic form of your other medication.That is why it looks different.But it has the same ingredients and should work the same way."

Question 23

A client tells the nurse that the health care provider has prescribed a new medication that has just come on the market." The nurse has not heard of this particular medication but is able to give the client important information based on its prototype drug because of which principles?
Select all that apply.

A)Knowing the prototype drug allows the nurse to predict the mechanism of action of the new medication.
B)The information regarding the prototype drug can be extended to any drug in the same class.
C)The prototype drug is the drug to which all drugs in a class are compared.
D)Knowing the prototype drug's therapeutic or pharmacologic classification can reveal important information about other drugs in the same class.
E)This is a new drug on the market.It may not have a prototype drug yet and its properties cannot be predicted.

Question 24

The physician has written an order for a client for a new antihypertensive drug.Why is it important that the nurse have an understanding of the drug's prototype?
Select all that apply.

A)Knowledge of the prototype allows the nurse to surmise important information about an unfamiliar drug in the same class.
B)If the nurse knows the actions and adverse effects of the prototype drug,this information can be relevant to use of the unfamiliar drug.
C)The safety profile for the prototype is the same as the safety profile for the unfamiliar drug.
D)Knowledge of the prototype drug's therapeutic or pharmacologic classification can offer useful information about the unfamiliar drug.
E)Traditional prototype drugs are often older and infrequently prescribed,and the information about them should not be used.

Question 25

A client says to the nurse,I just don't understand why my prescription costs so much.I tried to get a generic one,but the doctor said there isn't one yet." Which rationales are most appropriate for the nurse to use when responding to this client's question?
Select all that apply.

A)During the time of exclusivity,there is little competition,resulting in higher prices.
B)During the time of exclusivity,there are generic versions of the drug,but the pharmacist has the right to sell only the brand-name drug.
C)Once the time of exclusivity is over,other drug companies will be able to market generic drugs for less than the brand-name drug.
D)When the generic equivalent is released,the physician may routinely substitute the brand-name version for the generic version.
E)The period of exclusivity does not apply to Internet pharmacies based in other countries.

Question 26

A client who is admitted to the intensive care unit for monitoring notices the arthritis medication does not look like the one used at home and asks the nurse why.Which response by the nurse is the most appropriate?
Select all that apply.

A)This is a different brand from the one you use at home,but it will give you the same pain relief."
B)Your health care provider feels we can safely substitute this drug for the drug you use at home."
C)This generic drug is the one we have on formulary in the pharmacy.It has the same ingredients as the one you use at home."
D)This is what we have in the pharmacy.Go ahead and take it for now and let me know if it doesn't relieve the pain."
E)The medications in the hospital often do not look like the ones you get from the pharmacy."