Pharmacodynamics describes what a drug does to the body, including its mechanism of action.
Correct Answer
True
True. Pharmacodynamics studies the relationship between drug concentration at the site of action and the drug's effects. Pharmacokinetics is the complementary view of what the body does to the drug.
Category: Pharmacodynamics
Question 2
Liquid oral drugs are generally absorbed more slowly than tablets or capsules.
Correct Answer
False
False. Liquid oral forms are generally absorbed faster, because a tablet or capsule must first break apart and dissolve. Formulation is one of several factors that affect the rate of absorption.
Category: Pharmacokinetics
Question 3
The heart, liver and kidneys receive a rich blood supply, so drugs generally reach them more quickly than they reach fat, skin or bone.
Correct Answer
True
True. Distribution depends heavily on tissue perfusion, so highly vascular organs receive drug quickly, while poorly perfused tissues receive it more slowly. Poorly perfused areas, such as an infected foot ulcer in a client with diabetes, are hard to treat with systemic drugs.
Category: Pharmacokinetics
Question 4
The kidneys are the primary site of drug metabolism.
Correct Answer
False
False. The liver is the primary site of drug metabolism, largely through cytochrome P450 enzymes. The kidneys are the main route of drug excretion.
Category: Pharmacokinetics
Question 5
Elevated AST and ALT levels can signal liver damage that impairs drug metabolism.
Correct Answer
True
True. AST and ALT are liver enzymes, and elevated levels suggest hepatic injury. Impaired metabolism can let drugs build up to toxic levels, so doses may need to be reduced.
Category: Pharmacokinetics
Question 6
A drug with a long half-life must be given more often than a drug with a short half-life.
Correct Answer
False
False. A drug with a short half-life falls below its effective concentration quickly and needs shorter dosing intervals. A drug with a long half-life can be given less often but carries a greater risk of accumulation.
Category: Pharmacokinetics
Question 7
The onset of action is the time a drug takes to begin producing a therapeutic response.
Correct Answer
True
True. Onset is the time until the drug reaches its minimum effective concentration and starts to work. Duration is how long the effect lasts.
Category: Pharmacodynamics
Question 8
A partial agonist activates its receptor more strongly than a full agonist does.
Correct Answer
False
False. A partial agonist binds the receptor and produces only a moderate response, less than the full response a full agonist produces. It has affinity for the receptor but limited intrinsic activity.
Category: Pharmacodynamics
Question 9
Tolerance means a client needs increasing amounts of a drug to produce the same effect.
Correct Answer
True
True. With tolerance, the response to a given dose decreases over time, as can occur with opioids and nitrates. It differs from dependence, in which stopping the drug produces withdrawal.
Category: Pharmacodynamics
Question 10
Drowsiness from diphenhydramine is an allergic reaction and should be recorded as a drug allergy.
Correct Answer
False
False. Drowsiness is an expected side effect of diphenhydramine, not an allergy. Recording side effects as allergies can wrongly keep a useful drug from a client in the future.
Category: Medication Safety
Question 11
Nitrate patches or ointment are often removed overnight to give a nitrate-free period that helps prevent tolerance.
Correct Answer
True
True. Continuous nitrate exposure leads to tolerance, so a nitrate-free period, usually overnight, is built into each 24 hours. The nurse follows the ordered removal and reapplication times.
Category: Routes and Techniques
Question 12
A transdermal patch stops delivering drug as soon as it is removed.
Correct Answer
False
False. Drug already in the skin keeps being absorbed after removal, so effects can persist for hours. Clients should also dispose of used patches safely, because residual drug can harm children and pets.
Category: Routes and Techniques
Question 13
Insulin should be drawn up only in an insulin syringe, which is marked in units.
Correct Answer
True
True. Insulin is dosed in units, and an insulin syringe is calibrated in units rather than milliliters. Drawing insulin into a standard milliliter syringe can cause a serious overdose.
Category: Medication Safety
Question 14
After a subcutaneous heparin injection, the nurse should massage the site to speed absorption.
Correct Answer
False
False. The nurse applies gentle pressure but does not massage the site after heparin or enoxaparin, because massaging increases bruising. Sites are rotated and documented.
Category: Routes and Techniques
Question 15
The vastus lateralis is the preferred intramuscular injection site for infants.
Correct Answer
True
True. The vastus lateralis, on the outer thigh, is well developed in infants and away from major nerves and vessels. The ventrogluteal and deltoid sites are commonly used in adults.
Category: Routes and Techniques
Question 16
If resistance is felt while flushing a saline lock, the nurse should push harder to clear the catheter.
Correct Answer
False
False. Resistance can mean the catheter is occluded, so the nurse stops and does not force the flush. Forcing it could push a clot into the circulation or damage the vein.
Category: Routes and Techniques
Question 17
Medication reconciliation compares a client's current medication list with the provider's orders at transitions such as admission, transfer and discharge.
Correct Answer
True
True. Reconciliation checks for omissions, duplications and incorrect doses, and it includes over-the-counter drugs, vitamins and supplements. Transitions in care are where medication errors often occur.
Category: Medication Safety
Question 18
Household measures such as teaspoons are recommended over metric units for accurate drug dosing.
Correct Answer
False
False. Household measures are imprecise and cause dosing errors, and safety organizations recommend metric units. Volume is measured in liters and milliliters, and weight in grams and milligrams.
Category: Dosage Calculations
Question 19
One milligram equals 1,000 micrograms.
Correct Answer
True
True. Each metric prefix step here is a factor of 1,000: 1 gram equals 1,000 milligrams, and 1 milligram equals 1,000 micrograms. Micrograms should be written as mcg, because the Greek symbol is easily misread.
Category: Dosage Calculations
Question 20
Rectal suppositories should be lubricated with petroleum jelly before insertion.
Correct Answer
False
False. A water-soluble lubricant is used, because petroleum products can interfere with absorption of the drug. The suppository is inserted along the rectal wall past the internal sphincter, not into stool.
Category: Routes and Techniques