Welcome to Day 2 of your pharmacology journey! Today, we'll delve into the world of drugs, exploring their classifications, forms, and how they're ordered. We'll also cover your crucial responsibilities as a nurse, including the legal and ethical considerations of medication administration.
Drugs are grouped based on their therapeutic use, how they work in the body, or their chemical structure. Knowing these classifications helps you understand what a medication is used for and its potential effects. Here are some common categories:
Example: If a patient is prescribed Lisinopril, you know it's a cardiovascular drug, likely used to lower blood pressure. If they are prescribed Amoxicillin, it's an antibiotic used to fight infections.
Drugs come in various forms, each designed for a specific route of administration. The route impacts how quickly the drug takes effect.
Example: Morphine can be administered IV (fast effect) or PO (slower release and longer duration).
Medication orders provide the instructions for administering a drug. They must be clear, complete, and legally valid. Common components include:
Types of Orders:
* Routine Orders: Given regularly until discontinued.
* PRN (Pro Re Nata) Orders: Given as needed, based on a specific need (e.g., pain medication).
* STAT Orders: Given immediately, only once (e.g., for an emergency).
* Single Orders: Given once at a specific time (e.g., pre-operative antibiotics).
Example: "Amoxicillin 500mg PO q8h" means give 500 milligrams of amoxicillin by mouth every 8 hours.
As a nurse, you are legally and ethically responsible for safe medication administration. This involves:
Explore advanced insights, examples, and bonus exercises to deepen understanding.
Welcome back to Day 2! Yesterday, we laid the foundation for understanding drugs and your role as a nurse in administering them. Today, we'll continue building on that, focusing on drug classifications, administration, and your vital responsibilities. We'll add some crucial nuances that will prove very helpful in your nursing career.
While understanding common drug categories is essential, it's also important to consider:
Beyond the standard medication orders (stat, standing, PRN), consider the following nuances:
Imagine a patient is prescribed Lisinopril (an ACE inhibitor), Ibuprofen (an NSAID), and a potassium supplement. Research potential drug interactions between these medications and outline the potential consequences of each interaction.
You receive the following medication order: "Morphine Sulfate 2mg IV push q2h PRN for pain, pain level greater than or equal to 7/10." Explain the components of this order and your responsibilities in administering it. What are the key things you'd be looking for, and how would you assess the patient before, during, and after administration?
Consider a patient with renal insufficiency who is prescribed an antibiotic. Knowing the drug's excretion route allows you to anticipate potential drug accumulation and the need for dosage adjustments. Similarly, understanding the potential for food interactions with specific medications (e.g., grapefruit juice and certain statins) directly impacts patient safety and education.
During patient admission, practice medication reconciliation by comparing the patient's home medications (obtained through a medication list or interview) with the new orders. Identify any discrepancies, potential omissions, or duplications, and then consult with the prescribing physician to clarify.
Match each drug category with its primary use. (Provide a list of drug classifications on the left and their corresponding therapeutic uses on the right. For example: Cardiovascular Drugs - Treat Heart Conditions)
Given a sample medication order (e.g., 'Morphine Sulfate 2mg IV push q4h PRN for pain'), break down the order, identifying the patient, drug name, dose, route, frequency, and purpose.
Present a scenario where a nurse is about to administer medication. Ask the student to list the steps the nurse should take to ensure adherence to the Five Rights. (e.g., What should the nurse do before administering a medication to a patient named John Smith?)
A patient refuses a medication. What steps should the nurse take? Consider ethical and legal obligations, patient autonomy, and facility policy. (This prompts the student to consider how to navigate patient refusal.)
Imagine you are a new nurse on a medical-surgical unit. You receive a patient who has been prescribed 5 different medications. Create a medication administration record (MAR) with all of the information from the orders. List each medication (Drug, Dosage, Route, Frequency, Special Instructions) for this patient, and document the 5 rights for administering the first dose of one of the medications.
Review the Five Rights of Medication Administration and common medication routes. Prepare to learn about drug calculations and dosage conversions in our next lesson.
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