Chapter 32 Oral Medications

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Chapter 32

Oral Medications


QuestionQuestion

•Is the following statement true or false?

An advanced practice nurse can write a medication order.


AnswerAnswer

True.

An advanced practice nurse can write a medication order if legally designated to do so by state statutes.


Medication Orders Medication Orders

• Lists the drug name and directions for its administration

• Written on client’s medical records

• Written by medical personnel, physician’s assistant, or advanced practice nurse


Medication Orders (cont’d)Medication Orders (cont’d)

• Components of medication orders

– Drug name: trade name

– Drug dose: the amount of drug to administer, prescribed using the relevant system of measurement



• Route of administration: how the drug is given

– Oral, topical, inhalant, or parenteral route

• Frequency of administration: how often and how regularly the medication is to be given


QuestionQuestion

•The standard abbreviation for writing twice a day is?

a. q.d.

b. q.o.d.

c. b.i.d.

d. t.i.d.


AnswerAnswer

c. b.i.d.

The standard abbreviation for writing twice a day is b.i.d.; q.d. stands for everyday, q.o.d. for every other day, and t.i.d. for three times a day.


QuestionQuestion

•Which of the following is the most common route to administer medication?

a. Oral

b. Topical

c. Inhalant

d. Parenteral


AnswerAnswer

a. Oral

The oral route is the most common route to administer medication. The topical route is used for skin application, inhalant for aerosol, and parenteral for injection.



• Verbal orders: instructions for client care that are given during face-to-face conversations

• Telephone orders: obtained from a physician during a telephone conversation

• Documented in the medication administration record


Methods of Supplying MedicationsMethods of Supplying Medications

• Storing medications: medications remain locked until the drugs are administered

• Accounting for narcotics: federal laws regulate their possession and administration; nurses are responsible for an accurate account of their use and must keep a record of each narcotic used from the stock supply


Methods of Supplying Medications (cont’d)

Methods of Supplying Medications (cont’d)

• Ways to supply drugs:

– Individual supply

– Unit dose supply

– Stock supply


Medication AdministrationMedication Administration

• Applying the 5 rights safeguards against medication errors

• Calculating dosages is one of the 5 rights

• Oral medications are prepared and taken to the client’s bedside in a paper or plastic cup for administration


Drug Calculation FormulaDrug Calculation Formula


Preparing Medications SafelyPreparing Medications Safely


Taking MedicationsTaking Medications


Medication Administration (cont’d)Medication Administration (cont’d)

• Oral medications are administered by enteral tube if client cannot swallow them

• Documentation is required on medication administration record

• Nurses are ethically and legally responsible for reporting medication errors


Nursing ImplicationsNursing Implications

• Nursing diagnoses

– Deficient knowledge

– Risk for aspiration

– Ineffective therapeutic regimen management

– Ineffective health maintenance

– Noncompliance


General Gerontologic ConsiderationsGeneral Gerontologic Considerations

• The body constitution affects the way medications work

• The chemical properties of the medication determine the degree to which these age-related changes influence medication actions


General Gerontologic Considerations (cont’d)

General Gerontologic Considerations (cont’d)

• Polypharmacy in older adults increases the risk for drug interactions and adverse medication reactions

• Taking more than one medication can cause mental changes

• Enteric-coated medications should never be crushed

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Chapter 32 Oral Medications