The nursing student has registered for a class on ...

[audie]

The nursing student has registered for a class on pharmacokinetics. Which of the following reflects the student's accurate understanding of what he can expect to focus on in this class?
 
  a. The study of drug actions and their various side effects
  b. A classification system for organizing brand names and generic names of drugs
  c. The absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs
  d. The study of how medications achieve their effects at various sites in the body

Question 2

The nurse mixes two medications together in one syringe and is preparing to administer them to her patient. On entering the patient's room, the nurse notices that the medication looks cloudy and there are some particles floating in the mixture.
 
  What is the most appropriate action by the nurse?
  a. Notify the pharmacist before proceeding.
  b. Check for medication compatibility.
  c. Discard the medications and syringe.
  d. Remix the medications in a different syringe.

[Rilsmarie951]

Answer to Question 1

C
Pharmacokinetics refers to the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and exertion of a drug. These four processes determine the intensity and duration of a drug's action. Each drug has unique pharmacokinetics characteristics. Pharmacology is the science of drug effects. It deals with all drugs used in society, legal and illegal, prescription and nonprescription. Pharmacodynamics, another subconcept of pharmacology, is the study of how medications achieve their effects at various sites in the body, how specific drug molecules interact with target cells, and how biological responses occur.

Answer to Question 2

C
Drug incompatibilities occur when multiple drugs are mixed together, causing a chemical deterioration of one or more of the drugs. The result is an incompatible solution that should not be administered. You can usually recognize an incompatibility when the mixed solution takes on a changed appearance. If the contents of the syringe become discolored or there are particles in the solution, do not administer the medication. The nurse should always consult a medication resource and compatibility chart before mixing medications. Remixing the medications using a different syringe is inappropriate, as this will only elicit the same result.