Chapter 03: General Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Principles

Chapter 03: General Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Principles

Complete Chapter Questions With Answers

Sample Questions Are Posted Below

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. A primary care nurse practitioner (NP) prescribes a drug to an 80-year-old African-American woman. When selecting a drug and determining the correct dose, the NP should understand that the knowledge of how age, race, and gender may affect drug excretion is based on an understanding of:

ANS:  B

Pharmacokinetics is the study of the action of drugs in the body and may be thought of as what the body does to the drug. Factors such as age, race, and gender may change the way the body acts to metabolize and excrete a drug. Bioavailability refers to the amount of drug available at the site of action. Pharmacodynamics is the study of the effects of drugs on the body. Anatomy and physiology is a basic understanding of how the body functions.

DIF:    Cognitive Level: Understanding (Comprehension)             REF:   21

2. A patient asks the primary care NP which medication to use for mild to moderate pain. The NP should recommend:

ANS:  C

Providers should use generic drug names when prescribing drugs or recommending them to patients, unless a particular brand is essential for some reason. Because acetaminophen can have many trade names, it is important for patients to understand that the drug is the same for all to avoid overdosing on acetaminophen. APAP is a commonly used abbreviation but should not be used when recommending the drug to patients.

DIF:    Cognitive Level: Applying (Application)                           REF:   21

3. A patient wants to know why a cheaper version of a drug cannot be used when the primary care NP writes a prescription for a specific brand name of the drug and writes, “Dispense as Written.” The NP should explain that a different brand of this drug:

ANS:  D

Different formulations of the same drug may have varying degrees of bioavailability, and it may be important to stick to a particular brand for drugs with narrow therapeutic ranges. All drugs with similar active ingredients should have the same therapeutic actions and side effects and should be equally safe.

DIF:    Cognitive Level: Applying (Application)                           REF:   22

4. A primary care NP wishes to order a drug that will be effective immediately after administration of the drug. Which route should the NP choose?

ANS:  C

The sublingual route is preferred for quick action because the drug is directly absorbed into the bloodstream and avoids the pass through of the liver, where much of an oral drug is metabolized. Rectal routes have unpredictable absorption rates. Topical routes are the slowest. Intramuscular routes are slow.

DIF:    Cognitive Level: Remembering (Knowledge)                    REF:   22