First Week

Question 1

Single Medication Order

Answer 1

(one-time)
single prescription indicates that the medication is to be given only once at a specified time, usually before surgery or diagnostic procedure

Question 2

Standing Medication Order

Answer 2

• These are officially accepted sets of prescriptions to be applied routinely by nurses for the care of patients under certain conditions or under certain circumstances, such as drug allergies or sensitivities
• They establish guidelines for treating a particular disease or set of symptoms
• (as needed, can be there until discontinued)

Question 3

PRN Medication Order

Answer 3

• As needed
• in collaboration with the patient
• prescription specifies the condition for which the medication is to be given and the minimum time intervals between doses

Question 4

Communication of Orders

Answer 4

• handwritten
• pre-printed
• oral
• by telephone

Question 5

Chemical Name of a drug

Answer 5

the exact description of the drugs chemical composition and molecular structure

Question 6

Generic Name of a drug

Answer 6

(non-proprietary name)

• assigned by the U.S. Adopted Names Council (USAN Council) when the developing manufacturer is ready to market the drug
• usually similar to the chemical name, but in a simpler form
• company develops a drug and gives it official name (lower case name)
• usually cheaper
  ex: acetaminophen

Question 7

Official Name of a drug

Answer 7

official name of the drug

Question 8

Brand Name of a drug

Answer 8

• what the drug is sold at in stores
• begins with a capitol letter
• drugs commercial name, which may vary
  ex: Tylenol, Motrin

Question 9

Components of a Medication Order

Answer 9

• Clients full name (some locales require address)
• Date and Time of medication order
• Name of Medication
• Dosage size, frequency, # of doses
• Route of Administration
• Printed name and signature of prescriber, including relevant credentials and legal registration identifier or DEA # (written prescription)

Question 10

Types of Medication Orders

Answer 10

• written order
• automatic “stop” date
• STAT order
• Single order
• Standing order
• prn order

Question 11

Automatic “stop” date Medication Order

Answer 11

• This is a protocol that hospitals use for discontinuing medications after a certain length of time
• Most narcotic prescriptions are in effect for only 7 days
• If the medication is needed after the automatic stop date, the care provider must write another prescription

Question 12

Written Medication Order

Answer 12

-apply without a renewal date until the prescriber writes a prescription to alter or discontinue the medication or indicates on the original prescription a specific stop date

Question 13

Medication Administration Safety: Three Checks

Answer 13

1. Before you pour (mix or draw up medications): check the medication label against the medication administration record (MAR)
   - be sure that the NAME, ROUTE, DOSE, and TIME match the MAR entry
2. After you pour: verify the label against the MAR
   - after you prepare the medication, and before returning the container to the medication cart, check against the MAR
3. At Bedside: check medication again

Question 14

The 6 Rights to Medication Administration

Answer 14

1. Right Drug
2. Right Dose
3. Right Time
4. Right Route
5. Right Patient
6. Right Documentation

Right Drug, to the right Patient in the right Dose using the right Route at the right Time with right Documentation

Question 15

Oral Medications: Enteral Medications

Answer 15

for patients who cannot swallow or who have feeding tubes, you can give oral medications through nasogastirc (NG), gastrostomy, or jejunal tubes

Question 16

Oral Medications: Buccal and Sublingual

Answer 16

Buccal- held in the cheek
Sublingual- under the tongue
-intended for absorption in the mucous membranes rather than the GI tract

Question 17

Topical Medication

Answer 17

• applied directly to body surface/ body cavities
• local and sometimes systemic) effects
• lotions, creams, ointments
• trans-dermal patches
• eye (drops, ointment)
• ear drops
• nasal sprays
• suppositories

Question 18

Trans-dermal patches

Answer 18

• topical medication
• designed to be absorbed through the skin
• trans-dermal medications are prepared as patches made up of a special membrane
• patches allow constant, controlled amounts of medications to be released over 24 hours or more, giving prolonged systemic effect

Question 19

Route of Administration: Respiratory Inhalers

Answer 19

Absorption via alveoli and blood supply

• Atomizers
• Aerosol
• Metered- dose inhaler

Question 20

Nebulization

Answer 20

production of a fine spray, fog, powder, or mist from a liquid drug

• the patient inhales the medication mixture by breathing deeply through a mouthpiece attached to a nebulizer
• the airways and alveoli are highly vascularized, therefore absorb inhaled medications rapidly

Question 21

Atomizers

Answer 21

Disperse the medications in the form of large droplets

Question 22

Aerosols

Answer 22

Suspend the droplets of medication in a gas (e.g. oxygen)

Question 23

Metered-dose Inhaler

Answer 23

type of nebulizer that delivers measured doses of a nebulized drug

Question 24

Route of Administration: Parenteral Medications

Answer 24

-Intradermal
-Transdermal
-Subcutaneous
-Intramuscular
-Intravenous
(IV push, IV piggyback, medicated drips)

Question 25

Parenteral Medications: Intradermal

Answer 25

- medications are given into the dermis, or layer of skin located beneath the skin surface - commonly used for allergy or tuberculosis (TB) testing

Question 26

Parenteral Medications: Subcutaneous

Answer 26

- into subcutaneous tissue, the layer of fat located below the dermis and above the muscle tissue - absorption is slower than intramuscular because subcutaneous tissue does not have as rich a blood supply as muscle - speed of absorption varies with site selected

Question 27

IV Piggyback

Answer 27

``` the smaller (secondary) container is connected to the primary (continuous) infusion line at the upper (primary) port -this set up allows for intermittent use only ```

Question 28

What to do If You Commit a Medication Error

Answer 28

1. Assess vital signs and physical status 2. Report findings to primary care doctor 3. Notify the nurse manager and report events surrounding the event 4. Check with agency specific policy regarding incident reporting