Deck 1: Introduction to Pharmacology

Question 1

The physician orders a brand name drug for the client. The hospital formulary substitutes the generic equivalent of the brand name drug, and the nurse administers the generic drug. Which statement(s) best represent(s) the nurse's action?

A) The nurse should have contacted the physician prior to administering the drug.
B) The nurse should have called the pharmacist to see if the drugs were bioequivalent.
C) The nurse used good judgment in administering the drug.
D) The nurse was correct; hospital policies allow for this.
E) The nurse should ask the client which brand of drug is used at home.

Answer 1

The nurse used good judgment in administering the drug.
The nurse was correct; hospital policies allow for this.

Question 2

The nurse is providing medication education to a client with hypertension. The nurse teaches the client that the physician ordered a diuretic to decrease the amount of fluid in the client's body. Which statement best describes the nurse's instruction?

A) The nurse provided appropriate medication education.
B) The nurse explained the drug's mechanism of action.
C) The nurse taught the client about a prototype drug.
D) The nurse explained the consequences of not using the drug.

Answer 2

The nurse explained the drug's mechanism of action.

Question 3

The student nurse asks the nursing instructor why he needs to take anatomy and physiology, as well as microbiology, when he only wants to learn about pharmacology. What is the best response by the instructor?

A) "Because pharmacology is an outgrowth of those subjects."
B) "You must learn all, since those subjects, as well as pharmacology, are part of the curriculum."
C) "Knowledge of all those subjects will prepare you to provide the best patient care, including the administration of medications."
D) "Because an understanding of those subjects is essential to understanding pharmacology."

Answer 3

"Because an understanding of those subjects is essential to understanding pharmacology."

Question 4

Modern pharmacology was introduced to the United States by the opening of the first department of pharmacology at the University of Michigan in which year?

A) 1805
B) 1890
C) 1847
D) 1908

Question 5

The nurse is teaching a class for clients about over-the-counter (OTC) medications. The nurse determines that education has been effective when the clients make which statement?

A) "We should not take any over-the-counter (OTC) medicine without first calling and checking with the doctor's office."
B) "We should always ask the pharmacist about how to take the over-the-counter (OTC) medicine."
C) "We must read all the directions on the label and call the doctor's office if they are not clear."
D) "Medicines that are available over-the-counter (OTC) are really safe, or they would be prescription medicines."

Question 6

The client is receiving a very expensive medication. The client asks the nurse why the medicine is so expensive. What is the best response by the nurse?

A) "It is expensive, but your insurance covers it and you have a low co-pay."
B) "Drug companies are allowed to advertise medications and this adds to the cost."
C) "Drug companies must recoup the cost of developing and producing the drug."
D) "I think the drug companies should be more accountable for lowering costs."

Question 7

The physician ordered a brand name drug for the client, paroxetine (Paxil). After taking this medication for a year, the client tells the nurse that it is no longer working. What is the best assessment of the nurse at this time?

A) "This sounds like your medication needs changing."
B) "Let's look for interactions with other medications you are taking."
C) "Are you taking Paxil or paroxetine?"
D) "It is time for us to do the Beck Depression assessment again."

Question 8

The application of drugs for the purpose of treating diseases and treatment of suffering is known as

A) biologics.
B) pharmacotherapeutics.
C) alternative therapies.
D) therapeutics.

Question 9

The nursing instructor teaches the student nurses about the pharmacological classification of drugs. The instructor evaluates that learning has occurred when the students make which response?

A) "An anti-anginal treats angina."
B) "A calcium channel blocker blocks heart calcium channels."
C) "An antihypertensive lowers blood pressure."
D) "An anticoagulant influences blood clotting."

Question 10

The older adult client has gastrointestinal bleeding. The client says to the nurse, "I don't understand this. All I did was take ibuprofen (Advil) for my arthritis." Which plan would be best as it relates to the nurse's education of this client?

A) A plan to teach the client to use drugs that bypass the gastrointestinal system, like topical drugs
B) A plan to teach the client to substitute safer drugs like acetaminophen (Tylenol)
C) A plan to teach the client to obtain physician approval prior to the use of over-the-counter (OTC) medications
D) A plan to teach the advantages and disadvantages of ibuprofen (Advil)

Question 11

The nurse is teaching a pharmacology class to student nurses. What does the nurse include as key events in the history of pharmacology?

A) Initial drugs included morphine, cocaine, and penicillin.
B) Early researchers used themselves as test subjects.
C) The initial intention of pharmacology was to relieve human suffering.
D) Modern pharmacology began in the early 1600s.
E) Pharmacologists synthesized drugs in the laboratory in the twentieth century.

Question 12

The client is receiving a brand name drug and wants to change to the generic form because it is cheaper. What is the best outcome for this client?

A) Client will state two ways a brand name drug differs from a generic name drug.
B) Client will take the brand name drug after speaking with the physician.
C) Client will ask the nurse why brand name drugs are better than generic drugs.
D) Client will state two ways to obtain the medication at a reduced cost.

Question 13

The nurse administers a vaccine to a child. What is the best understanding of the nurse as it relates to the manufacture of this vaccine?

A) The vaccine is produced by natural plant extracts in the laboratory.
B) The vaccine is naturally produced in animal cells or microorganisms.
C) The vaccine is produced by a combination of animal and plant products.
D) The vaccine is most commonly synthesized in a laboratory.

Question 14

The client comes to the emergency department with a myocardial infarction. The client's husband tells the nurse that his wife has been taking calcium carbonate (Tums) for years for what she thought was indigestion. What is the best response by the nurse?

A) "Your wife should not have self-diagnosed herself. I hope she will be okay."
B) "Why did you let her do that? She should have seen a doctor."
C) "Well, I am glad she is here, as it certainly wasn't indigestion."
D) "Your wife was self-diagnosing, which is generally not a good idea."

Question 15

A client with chronic back pain informs the nurse he has been receiving therapeutic touch in addition to his medications. What is the nurse's best classification of this client's treatment?

A) pharmacotherapy.
B) drug-absence therapy
C) complementary therapy
D) biologic therapy

Question 16

The physician has prescribed a brand name drug for the client. The client tells the nurse that the medication is too expensive. What is the best plan by the nurse?

A) Help the client receive free medicine through a "patient assistance" program.
B) Ask the physician if a cheaper brand name drug may be substituted.
C) Ask the physician if a generic drug may be substituted.
D) Maintain the client on samples of the brand name drug from the physician's office.

Question 17

The student nurse has completed an initial pharmacology course and tells the nursing instructor that it was difficult and she is glad it is over. What is the best response by the nursing instructor?

A) "It may be over, but now you must apply what you have learned to patient care."
B) "Learning is gradual and continuous; we never completely master all areas of pharmacology."
C) "Learning is always painful, but we must continue anyway."
D) "It really isn't over; you should take a graduate course next."

Question 18

The nursing instructor is teaching a pharmacology class to student nurses. The current focus is pharmacology and therapeutics. The nursing instructor determines that learning has occurred when the students make which comments?

A) "Pharmacology is the development of medicines."
B) "Pharmacology is the study of medicines."
C) "Therapeutics relates to drug use to treat suffering."
D) "Therapeutics is the study of drug interactions."
E) "Pharmacology is the study of drugs to prevent disease."

Question 19

The client says to the nurse, "My wife and I take the same drug, but we have different side effects. Are we doing something wrong?" What is the best response by the nurse?

A) "No. Differences such as your sex can result in different side effects."
B) "I'll have to check. What is the name of the drug you were using?"
C) "Possibly. This could happen if one uses generic or brand name drugs."
D) "I'm not sure. Maybe the drug is not the same; you should check it."

Question 20

During pharmacology class, the student nurse asks the nursing instructor how students will ever learn about the individual antibiotic drugs since there are so many. What is the best response by the nursing instructor?

A) "You will learn a little trick called mnemonics."
B) "You will learn how to do a flow chart to enhance memory."
C) "You will learn how to categorize the individual drugs."
D) "You will learn a representative drug from each class."

Question 21

A client says, "I don't understand why so much money is spent on trying to find a cure for cancer. I have epilepsy and wish more money went into epilepsy drugs." What should the nurse consider prior to responding?

A) More people are affected by cancer than by epilepsy.
B) Drugs that are effective in treating epilepsy exist.
C) The amounts of money spent on drug development are determined at the federal level.
D) It would be easier to achieve a cure for cancer than to achieve a cure for epilepsy.
E) The client should realize that personal family may develop cancer one day.

Question 22

A client with advanced heart disease says, "I read about a new drug that was just released. Do you think my doctor could get it for me?" What should the nurse include in discussion with the client?

A) "Since the drug is new it is dangerous to use."
B) "Decisions on using drugs are based on many different variables."
C) "We certainly can talk to your physician about the drug."
D) "When drugs are first developed they are very expensive and their use is limited to those who can afford to purchase them."
E) "People who are very sick often have unrealistic expectations of what drugs can do."

Question 23

The nurse is categorizing a client's list of medications completing a health history. Which agents would be categorized as complementary and alternative medicine?

A) Garlic
B) Vitamin C
C) Zinc
D) Aspirin
E) Benadryl

Question 24

While discussing antihypertensives, the instructor states that a particular agent causes a reduction in blood pressure by blocking receptor sites. The student wishing to understand this statement would research which drug information?

A) Drug-drug interaction
B) Adverse effects
C) Indication
D) Mechanism of action

Question 25

A client says to the admitting nurse, "Why do you need to know the names of all the over-the-counter supplements I take? They aren't drugs." Which of the nurse's responses are appropriate?

A) "The admitting physician needs to know everything you are taking."
B) "You're right. I'm not sure why the admitting paperwork asks for this information. Would you mind listing them anyway?"
C) "The law requires us to keep a list of over-the-counter drugs and supplements that you are taking."
D) "It is true that supplements are not considered drugs; however, some of these products can cause adverse effects with prescribed drugs."
E) "We need to know if you are having an allergic reaction to one of them."

Question 26

Chemical names are assigned for each drug. What are the major reasons that nursing usually does not use the chemical name of the drugs?

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.

Question 27

Advil, Motrin, and Nuprin are examples of

A) chemical names.
B) combination names.
C) trade names.
D) generic names.

Question 28

A prototype drug is a single drug in a class and can be compared with all other medications in the class. The benefit of studying the prototype drug is that the nurse would be able to predict characteristics of other drugs in the same class, including

A) which drugs have the most favorable safety profile.
B) their therapeutic indications.
C) their actions.
D) their adverse effects.
E) duration of action of drugs in the group.

Question 29

An overwhelmed nursing student asks the instructor whether there are any tips that will make learning pharmacology easier. The instructor gives an example of the anticoagulant heparin. The instructor indicates that knowing heparin and comparing other drugs to it will facilitate learning the many anticoagulants. Which approach is the instructor using?

A) Mechanism of action approach
B) Generic name approach
C) Trade name approach
D) Prototype drug approach

Question 30

Which type of classification system is being used when drugs are grouped together because they help treat a particular disease or condition?

A) Therapeutic
B) Mechanism of action
C) Chemical
D) Pharmacological