Week 2: Pharmacokinetics and Pharmaceutics Quiz

Factors Affecting Drug Absorption

• In the elderly, factors like reduced gastric acid secretion, slowed gastric emptying, and decreased intestinal blood flow may impact drug absorption.

Pharmacokinetics

• Distribution refers to the process of a drug moving from the bloodstream to various tissues and organs in the body.

Factors Affecting Drug Absorption

• Factors affecting drug absorption include:
  • Gastric pH and emptying rate
  • Gut motility and blood flow
  • Drug solubility and formulation
  • Presence of food or other substances

Pediatric Considerations

• Dosage forms suitable for children are important to consider due to their varying needs and abilities to swallow or absorb medications.

Medication History and Nurses' Responsibilities

• A key responsibility of nurses is to obtain a thorough medication history from patients to ensure accurate and safe medication administration.

Patient Advocacy

• Nurses play a crucial role in patient advocacy regarding pharmacotherapy by educating patients and promoting informed decision-making.

Pharmacological Characteristics

• The characteristic of reversibility ensures that a patient can return to their normal state after treatment completion.
• The therapeutic index (TI) ensures that the therapeutic dose is significantly lower than the dose that could cause harm or toxicity.

Medication Safety Measures

• Nurses implement measures to prevent errors, such as barcoding, automated dispensing systems, and double-checking medications.

Collaboration and Medication Plans

• A crucial aspect of nurses' collaboration with healthcare professionals is to ensure that medication plans are tailored to individual patient needs.

Pharmacological Characteristics

• Targeted therapy involves targeting specific pathways or receptors involved in the disease without affecting unrelated physiological processes.
• Consistency of response refers to the consistent effects of a drug among individuals, considering factors like age, gender, and other relevant demographics.

Parasitic Infections

• The most common cause of infections globally is parasitic infections.
• Protozoal parasites like Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia are typically spread through contaminated food and water.
• The primary mode of transmission for Plasmodium is through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito.
• Plasmodium primarily multiplies in red blood cells.
• Severe symptom specifically associated with malaria is cerebral malaria.

Ideal Drug Characteristics

• An ideal drug should have high efficacy, minimal toxicity, and reversibility.

Protozoan Parasite Transmission

• Tsetse flies and sand fleas play a crucial role in the transmission of protozoan parasites.

Malaria Complications

• Infected red blood cells adhering to brain capillaries' endothelium can lead to cerebral malaria.

Drug Interactions

• Drugs interact with specific molecular targets in the body by binding to receptors, modulating ion channels, and affecting intracellular signaling pathways.

Pharmacological Mechanisms

• Drugs binding to receptors found on or within cells can activate or inhibit specific biological processes.
• Modulation of ion channels by drugs affects the flow of ions across cell membranes.
• Certain drugs affect intracellular signaling pathways by modulating enzymes involved in these pathways.

Dosing and Pharmacokinetics

• The primary purpose of a loading dose is to rapidly achieve the desired therapeutic concentration in the bloodstream.
• The maintenance dose aims to maintain the desired therapeutic concentration.
• Factors determining frequency and size of maintenance doses include the drug's half-life, clearance, and volume of distribution.
• A loading dose is typically used at the beginning of treatment to rapidly achieve the desired therapeutic concentration.
• Maintenance doses are typically lower than loading doses due to the initial high dose.
• The term 'steady-state concentration' refers to the constant concentration of a drug in the bloodstream after repeated administration.
• Maintenance doses play a crucial role in maintaining the desired therapeutic concentration after the loading dose has achieved the desired level.
• A loading dose is different from subsequent maintenance doses due to its high initial dose and rapid achievement of therapeutic concentration.
• The need for a loading dose is determined by the drug's pharmacokinetic properties and the desired therapeutic effect.