RLE MEDICATION

• Medication


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


  In the health care context, the word 'drug' has the connotation of an illicitly obtained substance such as heroin, cocaine, amphetamines
• Medication


  • Usually dispensed on the order of a Physician
  • In some US states, specifically qualified nurse practitioners and other advanced practice nurses and physician assistants may prescribe drugs
• Prescription


  The written direction for the preparation and administering of a drug
• Names of medications


  • Generic name
  • Drug trade name (brand name)
  • Official name
  • Chemical name
• Pharmacology


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


  The act of preparing, compounding and dispensing drugs; also refers to the place where drugs are prepared and dispensed
• Drug sources


  • Natural (plants, mineral, animals)
  • Synthesized in the laboratory
• Drugs derived from plants may vary in strength according to the age of the plant, variety and place in which it is grown and the method used in preservation
• Pharmacopoeia


  A book containing a list of products used in medicine, with description of the products, chemical tests for determining identity and purity and formulas and prescription
• Effects of drugs


  • Therapeutic effect (desired effect)
  • Side effect (secondary effect)
  • Drug toxicity (harmful effects of a drug on an organism or tissue)
  • Drug allergy (immunologic reaction to a drug)
  • Drug tolerance (unusually low psychologic response to a drug)
• Administration of one drug before, at the same time as or after another drug

  Alters the effect of one or both drugs
• Iatrogenic disease can be a result of drug therapy
• Types of medication orders


  • STAT order (given immediately and only once)
  • Single order (one time order)
  • Standing order (may or may not have a termination date)
  • PRN (as needed) order
• Medication order abbreviations


  • OD (once a day)
  • BID (2 times a day)
  • TID (3 times a day)
  • QID (4 times a day)
  • HS (hours of sleep)
  • p.o (by mouth)
  • IV (intravenous)
  • SQ (subcutaneous)
  • q (every)
  • @ (at)
  • cc (milliliter)
  • RTC (round the clock)
  • PRN (as needed)
  • AS (left ear)
  • AD (right ear)
  • AU (both ears)
  • OS (left eye)
  • OD (right eye)
  • OU (both/each eye)
• Essential parts of a medication order


  • Full name of the patient
  • Date and time the order is written
  • Name of the drug to be administered
  • Dosage of the drug
  • Frequency of administration
  • Route of administration
  • Signature of the person writing the order
• Metric system


  Logically organized into units of 10, decimal system, basic units can be multiplied or divided by 10 to form secondary units
• Metric system prefixes

  • deci (1/10 or 0.1)
  • centi (1/100 or 0.01)
  • milli (1/1000 or 0.001)
  • Deka ( 10)
  • Hecto ( 100)
  • Kilo (1000)
• Basic unit of measurement - weight (gram)

  Kilogram (kg) only multiple of gram used, Milligram (mg) and microgram (mcg) are subdivisions, 1 kg=1000g, 1 g=1000 mg, 1 mg=1000 mcg
• Basic unit of measurement - volume (liter)


  Expressed in milliliters (mL) or Liters (L), 1 L=1000ml
• Systems of measurement


  • Metric system
  • Apothecaries' system
  • Household system
• Apothecaries' system is older than metric system, with basic units of grain (gr) and minim (volume)
• Household system is used when more accurate systems of measure are not required, includes drops, teaspoon, tablespoon, cups and glasses
• Basic formula for medication calculations

  D x Q / S

  D - desired dose (doctor's order)

  S - stock on hand (stock dose)

  Q - Quantity (dilution)
• Name given by the drug manufacturer and identifies it as property of the company

  Trade Name/ Brand Name
• Official Name- the name under which a drug is listed in one of the official publications
• Generic Name- assigned by the United states adopted name (USAN) council and is used throughout the drug’s lifetime
• CHEMICAL NAME –the name by which a chemist knows it; this name describes the constituents of the drug precisely
• Licensed pharmacist- prepared, makes and dispense drugs.
• Clinical pharmacist - is a specialist who often guides the primary care provider in prescribing drug.
• Pharmacy technician - is a member of the health team who in some states administer drug to client.
• THERAPEUTIC EFFECT- (desired effect) is the primary effect intended , that’s the reason the drug is prescribed
• SIDE EFFECT- (secondary effect) of a drug is one that’s unintended; Usually predictable and may be either harmless or potentially harmful.
• DRUG TOXICITY – (harmful effects of a drug on an organism or tissue) resulting from overdosage, ingestion, of a drug intended for external use or buildup of the drug in the blood because of impaired metabolism or excretion.
• Drug Allergy- is an immunologic reaction to a drug; a client can react to a drug in the same manner as an antigen and thus develop symptoms of an allergic reaction
• Drug tolerance- exist in person who has unusually low psychologic response to a drug and who requires increases in the dosage to maintain a given therapeutic effect
• Drug Interaction- occurs when the administration of one drug before at the same time as or after another drug alters the effect of one or both drug