1. A nurse working in radiology administers iodine to a client who is having a
computed tomography (CT) scan. The nurse working on the oncology
... [Show More] unit
administers chemotherapy to clients who have cancer. At the Public Health
Department, a nurse administers a measles–mumps–rubella (MMR) vaccine to a
14-month-old child as a routine immunization. Which branch of pharmacology best
describes the actions of all three nurses?
A) Pharmacoeconomics
B) Pharmacotherapeutics
C) Pharmacodynamics
D) Pharmacokinetics
Ans: B
Feedback: Pharmacology is the study of the biologic effects of chemicals. Nurses
are involved with clinical pharmacology or pharmacotherapeutics, which is a branch
of pharmacology that deals with the uses of drugs to treat, prevent, and diagnose
disease. The radiology nurse is administering a drug to help diagnose a disease.
The oncology nurse is administering a drug to help treat a disease.
Pharmacoeconomics includes any costs involved in drug therapy.
Pharmacodynamics involves how a drug affects the body, and pharmacokinetics is
how the body acts on the body.
2. The care provider has prescribed intravenous hydromorphone, an opioid, for
a client using a client-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump. The nurse is aware that this
drug has a high abuse potential. Under what category would hydromorphone be
classified?
A) Schedule I
B) Schedule II
C) Schedule III
D) Schedule IV
Ans: B
Feedback: Opioids with a high abuse potential are classified as schedule II drugs
because of severe dependence liability. Schedule I drugs have high abuse potential
and no accepted medical use. Schedule III drugs have a lesser abuse potential than
schedule II drugs and an accepted medical use. Schedule IV drugs have low abuse
potential and limited dependence liability.
3. When involved in phase III drug evaluation studies, what action should the
nurse perform?
A) Work with animals which are given experimental drugs.
B) Select appropriate clients to be involved in the drug study.
C) Monitor and observe clients closely for adverse effects.
D) Make decisions that will determine effectiveness of the drug.
Ans: C
Feedback: Phase III studies involve use of a drug in a vast clinical population in
which clients are asked to record any symptoms they experience while taking the
drugs. Nurses may be responsible for helping collect and analyze the information to
be shared with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but would not conduct
research independently because nurses do not prescribe medications. Use of
animals in drug testing is done in the preclinical trials. Select clients who are
involved in phase II studies to participate in studies where the participants have the
disease the drug is intended to treat. These clients are monitored closely for drug
action and adverse effects. Phase I studies involve healthy human volunteers who
are usually paid for their participation. Nurses may observe for adverse effects and
toxicity. [Show Less]