•Chapter 1
•Introduction to Drugs
•Nurses’ Responsibility
•Administering drug
•Assessing for adverse drug effects
•Intervening to make the drug regimen more tolerable
•Providing patient teaching about drugs and the drug regimen
•Monitoring and prevention of medication errors
•Pharmacology
•Pharmacology is the study of the biological effects of chemicals
•Health care providers focus on how chemicals act on living organisms
•Pharmacotherapeutics
•A branch of pharmacology that uses drugs to treat, prevent, and diagnose disease
•Pharmacotherapeutics focuses on:
–The drug’s effect on the body
–The body’s response to the drugs
•Drug effects
–Therapeutic
–Adverse
•Sources of Drugs
•Plants
•Animal products
•Inorganic compounds
•Synthetic sources
•Plants
•Animal Products
•Animal products are used to replace human chemicals
•Used less frequently due to genetic engineering
•Synthetic preparations are considered safer
•Inorganic Compounds
•Synthetic Sources
•Genetic engineering is used to alter bacteria to produce chemicals that are therapeutic and effective
•Changes in chemical structure can make drugs more potent, more stable, and less toxic
•Drug Evaluation
•Preclinical trials
–Chemicals tested on laboratory animals
•Phase I studies
–Chemicals tested on human volunteers
•Phase II studies
–Drug tried on informed patients
•Phase III studies
–Drug used in vast clinical market
•Phase IV studies
–Continual evaluation of the drug
•Legislation
•Pregnancy Categories
•Controlled Substances
•Drug Names
•Chemical name
•Generic name
•Trade name
•Drug Name
•Chemical name
–(+/-)-2-(p-isobutylphenyl) propionic acid
•Generic name
–Ibuprofen
•Trade name
–Motrin®, Advil®
•Types of Drugs
•Over-the-counter drugs
•Prescription drugs
•Over-the-Counter Drugs
•Drugs considered very safe and useful to patients without a prescription
•Drugs may previously have been prescription medications (eg, loratadine)
•Concerns With OTC Medications
•OTC drugs can mask the signs and symptoms of underlying disease
•Taking OTC drugs with prescription medications can result in drug interaction
•Taking prescription medication incorrectly with OTC drugs could result in serious overdose
•Sources of Drug Information
•Package insert
•Reference books
•Journals
•Internet
•