1
Q
What is medicines?
A
- Medicines are substances that help our bodies – physically or mentally – to prevent, treat or cure diseases.
2
Q
Who is involved in medications?
A
- Doctors
- Pharmacists
- Dentists
- Allied health professionals
- Physiotherapist, dieticians, speech pathologists, occupational therapists)
- Nurses
3
Q
What are the different types of medicines?
A
- Prescription medicines - Antibiotics (e.g. Amoxicillin)
- Non-Prescription medicines - Paracetamol
- Vaccines - Influenza, Covid-19, Hepatitis B, Polio, Diptheria, Tetanus, Whooping Cough
- Biological medicines - Insulin e.g. Optisulin® (glargine insulin) and Toujeo (glargine insulin)
4
Q
What is the difference between generic and brand name medicines?
A
- Generic versus Brand name medicines - Paracetamol instead of Panamax or Panadol
- Generic and brand name medication are the same thing
- Same dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, performance characteristics, and intended use.
- Generic brands are cheaper
5
Q
What is 1 to 5 for Poison Schedule?
A
- 1 - Blank - Not currently in use
- 2 - Pharmacy medicine
- 3 - Pharmacist only medicine
- 4 - Prescription only medicine
- 4 R/D - Subset of prescription only medicines
- 5 - Caution (commonly used for domestic purposes e.g. acetone)
6
Q
What is 6 to 10 for Poison Schedule?
A
- 6 - Poison (substances used in agricultural, industry, photography eg rodent baits)
- 7 - Dangerous poison (eg arsenic)
- 8 - Controlled drug (eg morphine)
- 9 - Prohibited substances (eg heroin)
- 10 - Substances of such danger to health at to warrant
prohibition of supply and use (e.g. lead)
7
Q
Who can prescribe medications?
A
- Prescriptions are a legal document
- ONLY doctors, dentists, optometrists, nurse practitioners and midwife practitioners.
8
Q
How can we know a prescription is a valid medication order?
A
- Date
- Full patient name
- DOB
- URN/MRN (if inpatient)
- Drug generic name (active ingredient)
- Dose
- Route
- Frequency
- Prescriber signature
- Prescriber name
- Contact number
9
Q
What are the different types of medication orders?
A
- Regular order
- Stat order – give immediately and only once
- PRN order – ‘as needed’; the nurse uses good judgment about
whether the medication is needed & when it can be safely administered. - Single order – one-time order, at the specified time
- Standing order – permits nurses to administer medication in certain circumstances without a prior written order; protocols in place; must be signed by MO within 24hrs
- Emergency telephone (electronic/facsimile) order
10
Q
What are the different medication names?
A
- Generic name - Active ingredient and Often a chemical name
- Trade name - Brand name and used for marketing
- The Generic name is required on all prescriptions
- Generic brands of medications are the same as the famous name brands, just cheaper for consumers
11
Q
What are the various factors which influences the type of
medication prescribed?
A
- Primary diagnosis & co-morbidities such as Parkinson’s Disease, breast cancer etc.
- Allergy status
- Current status - symptoms, signs
- Medication literacy and safety
12
Q
What is tall man lettering?
A
- Typographic technique:
- Using selective capitalisation
to help make look-alike,
Sound-alike (LASA) medicine
Pairs easier to differentiate.
13
Q
What is the medicines framework?
A
- Legislation & policy
- Pharmacological knowledge
- Adopting best practice guidelines‘
- Rights’ & ‘checks’
- Administration techniques
- Clinical reasoning
14
Q
Why is legislation, policy and scope of practice important for nurses?
A
- Have an understanding of
the laws that direct, define
and limit your scope of
practice and professional
responsibilities. - Recognise the limits to
your knowledge & skills.
15
Q
What are the best practice approaches?
A
- Use plain English, write clearly
- Use plain words or numbers,
- Use a leading zero in front of a decimal point for a dose less than 1
- No trailing zeros in decimals
- Use 24 hour time
- Use safe terms, abbreviations
16
Q
What is Pharmacodynamics
A
How the drug affects the body
17
Q
What is Pharmacokinetics?
A
The study of the movement of drugs in the body: absorption, distribution, metabolism & excretion.
18
Q
What are the unintended effects of medicines?
A
- Side effects - Known or secondary reactions to the medication,
- e.g. nausea, dizziness, constipation
- Adverse effects - Unexpected or undesired effects of a medication,
- e.g. allergy, neutropenia
19
Q
What is Anaphylaxis?
A
- Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction which occurs immediately the drug is administered
- Presentation includes swelling in the mouth & tongue, acute respiratory distress, tachycardia & hypotension.
20
Q
What is the 6 rights of medication checks?
A
- Medication/Drug
- Dose
- Time
- Route
- Patient
- Documentation
21
Q
What is the 3 checks of medication?
A
- 1st check: On initial location of medication in patient medication drawer, drug trolley or medication room
- 2nd check: At the time of preparing the medication
- 3rd check: Before administering to the patient (and before putting the medication container away)
