Chapter 2- Pharmaceuticals
1. A physician has ordered subcutaneous injections of morphine, a narcotic, every 4 hours as needed for pain for a motor
... [Show More] vehicle accident victim. The nurse is aware that there is a high abuse potential for this drug and that it is categorized as a
A) C-I drug.
B) C-II drug.
C) C-III drug.
D) C-IV drug.
Ans: B
Feedback:
Narcotics such as morphine are considered C-II drugs because of the high abuse potential with severe dependence liability. C-I drugs have high abuse potential and are not accepted for medical use. C-III drugs have a lesser abuse potential than C-II drugs and an accepted medical use. C-IV drugs have a low abuse potential and limited dependence liability.
2. A nurse working for a drug company is involved in phase III drug evaluation studies. Which of the following might the nurse be responsible for during this stage of drug development?
A) Working with animals who are given experimental drugs
B) Monitoring drug effects in patients who are selected to participate in a study, who have the disease that the drug is meant to treat
C) Administering investigational drugs to patients
D) Informing healthy, young volunteer participants of possible risks that could occur from taking an experimental drug
Ans: C
Feedback:
Phase III studies involve administering investigational drugs to patients in a vast clinical market who are voluntarily enrolled in double-blind studies. In phase I studies, a small number of healthy human volunteers are given the drug after blood urine and other appropriate samples are taken to monitor drug metabolism. Sometimes volunteers who have a certain disease are used in phase I instead of healthy volunteers if the drug is expected to have significant toxicity. In phase II, volunteers are given various dosages of the test compound and studied in great detail. Dosage guidelines are usually determined in this phase. Nurses are more likely to be responsible for administering the investigational drugs in phase III than in phases I and II. Use of animal testing is done in the preclinical trials and would not involve a nurse.
3. Which of the following would be the most user-friendly and appropriate source of drug information for a nurse?
A) Drug Facts and Comparisons book
B) A nurse's drug guide
C) A drug package insert
D) The Physician's Drug Reference (PDR)
Ans: B
Feedback:
The most user-friendly drug source for a nurse is a nurse's drug guidebook. A guidebook provides nursing implications and patient teaching points that are most useful to nurses and may not be found in other drug sources. The Drug Facts and Comparisons book provides a wide range of drug information but is hard to manipulate and is very expensive. A package insert contains all of the chemical and drug company research information about a drug and no information concerning nursing measures. The PDR does not provide any nursing-specific information.
4. A nurse works in a private hospital and needs to administer some narcotic drugs to one of her patients. Which of the following should the nurse consider when administering narcotics to patients in a hospital setting?
A) Narcotics are banned in private settings and cannot be used.
B) Narcotics can be used in the hospital after obtaining written approval from the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Hospitals and Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).
C) Narcotics to be used in the hospital are dispensed only with a written prescription.
D) Narcotics can be used in the hospital according to patient preferences. Ans: C
Feedback:
A nurse can administer narcotics in the hospital after ensuring that narcotics are dispensed only with a written prescription. JCAHO sets the standards for quality of patient care and accreditation of health care institutions, not for using narcotics.
5. A nurse who is responsible for administering medications should understand that the goals of the MedWatch program are to (Select all that apply.)
A) provide regular feedback about product safety issues.
B) accredit new medical facilities and hospitals.
C) facilitate the reporting of adverse reactions of drugs.
D) increase awareness of serious reactions caused by drugs or medical devices.
E) report medication errors that occur in hospitals. Ans: A, C, D
Feedback:
The goals of the MedWatch program are to increase awareness of serious reactions caused by drugs or medical devices, facilitate the reporting of adverse reactions, and provide the health care community with regular feedback about product safety issues. The MedWatch program does not accredit new medical facilities and hospitals. This is the responsibility of JCAHO. MedWatch is not responsible for reporting medication errors. [Show Less]