Fundamentals Medicine

• Medication


  A substance administered for the diagnosis, cure, treatment, or relief of a symptom or for prevention of disease
• Drug


  In the health care context, the words medication and drug are generally used interchangeably
• Terms


  • Prescription
  • Generic name
  • Trade name (brand name)
  • Official name
  • Chemical name
• Prescription


  The written direction for the preparation and administration of a drug
• Generic name


  Assigned by the United States Adopted Names (USAN) Council and used throughout the drug's lifetime
• Trade name (brand name)

  The name given by the drug manufacturer and identifies it as property of that company
• Official name


  The name under which a drug is listed in one of the official publications (e.g., the United States Pharmacopeia)

  
• Chemical name


  The name by which a chemist knows it; this name describes the constituents of the drug precisely
• Pharmacology


  The study of the effect of drugs on living organisms
• Pharmacy


  The art of preparing, compounding, and dispensing drugs. The word also refers to the place where drugs are prepared and dispensed
• Pharmacist


  The licensed professional who prepares, makes, and dispenses drugs as ordered by a physician, dentist, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant
• Pharmacopoeia


  A book containing a list of products used in medicine, with descriptions of the product, chemical tests for determining identity and purity, and formulas and prescriptions
• Therapeutic effect


  The primary effect intended, that is, the reason the drug is prescribed
• Side effect


  An unintended effect of a drug, usually predictable and may be either harmless or potentially harmful
• Adverse effect


  More severe side effects that may justify the discontinuation of a drug
• Transcribing doctor's order


  Interpreting intelligently doctor's order
• Medical order


  An order (written or verbal) made by the physician pertaining to patient care or management
• Carrying out of medical order

  1. Transcribes medical order to nursing Kardex

  2. Fills up instruction sheet, medication cards or ticket and appropriate forms for laboratory and diagnostic requests
• Interpreting medical order


  1. If the nurse has any doubt regarding the medical order, she will clarify it with the attending physician who made the order

  2. Affix initials including date and time below it has been carried out already
• 5 rights in doctor's order

  • Right name of the drug
  • Right name of patient
  • Right dosage
  • Right time, frequency
  • Right route by which the drug is administered
• Interpreting drug orders


  • Paracetamol (Biogesic) 500 mg p.o. q. 4 h
  • Dilantin 100 mg p.o. t.i.d.
  • Penicillin G 400,000 U IM q.6h
  • Demerol 75 mg IM q.4h, PRN for pain
  • Mefenamic Acid (Ponstan) 500 mg q.6h
• Interpreting other doctor's orders

  • 2/3 strength solution Ensure. Give 90 ml q.h for 5 hours via NG tube
  • 5/8 strength solution Isomil 36 ml via NG tube hourly for 8 feedings
  • Acetaminophen 240 mg. p.o. q.6h round the clock; p.r.n., pain or T>38⁰C
• 3 common errors in transcribing medication
• Incorrect interpretation of order due to misunderstanding of traditional time
• Failing to clarify incomplete orders
• Not checking the correct dosage
• Critical thinking analysis


  Reading the labels of medications is critical, Make sure that the drug you want is what you have or hand before you prepare it
• Color coding of medicine tickets

  • Red - single dose/stat, BID, TID, QID/every 4 hours, every 6 hours, every 8 hours, PRN, HS
  • White - oral medications
  • Pink - procedures
  • Blue - IV, SQ, IM, topical medications, nebulization, suppository
  • Red - stat
• Normal vital sign ranges for the average healthy adult

  • Blood pressure: 90/60 mm Hg to 120/80 mm Hg
  • Breathing: 12 to 20 breaths per minute/ cycles per minute
  • Pulse: 60 to 100 beats per minute
  • Temperature: 36-37.5° C
• Basic drug computation


  Conversion of units: teaspoon, tablespoon, millilitre, litre, fluid ounce, pint, gallon, microgram, milligram, gram, kilogram, ounces, pounds
• Medicine ticket


  • Objective: To be able to guide the nurse to follow the doctor's written order indicating the drug to be given, the frequency of doses, the amount of each dose and the method of administration
  • Scope: Name of patient, age, room no., date, name of drugs, route, time frequency, doses
• Keys to remember when transcribing doctor's orders