2 Medication Forms, Orders, and Calculations Free Online FlashCards

How do dosage form and route differ?

A dosage form is the physical form supplied, such as a tablet or cream; a route is how the medicine enters or is applied to the body, such as oral or topical.

What must an FDA-approved generic share with its reference brand?

An FDA-approved generic has the same active ingredient, strength, dosage form, and route as its reference brand product, and must meet FDA quality and bioequivalence standards. Inactive ingredients and appearance may differ.

How do modified-release products differ from immediate-release products?

Immediate-release products release medicine without a special delay. Delayed-release and extended-release products alter when or how quickly medicine is released.

What should be checked against the medication label before use?

Compare the drug name, active ingredient, strength or concentration, dosage form, route, directions, expiration date, and product integrity.

For a liquid medicine, how do dose and concentration differ?

The dose is the amount of medicine ordered; the concentration is the amount of medicine per volume.

What information belongs in a complete medication order?

A complete order identifies the patient and medicine and specifies, as applicable, dose and form, route, frequency and timing, duration or stop date, PRN indication and parameters, and prescriber authorization.

What must be clear in an order for a PRN dose?

A PRN order should state a usable reason and any required parameters. If these are missing, clarify the order before administration.

What should you do when a medication order is unclear?

Pause and clarify the order with the prescriber or pharmacist; do not guess at an ambiguous or incomplete instruction.

What decimal notation reduces medication-dose errors?

Use a leading zero for doses below one, such as $0.5$ mg rather than .5 mg, and omit unnecessary trailing zeros, such as $5$ mg rather than $5.0$ mg.

What is the key setup principle in dimensional analysis?

Arrange conversion factors so unwanted units cancel and the result has the needed unit. Keep units visible, then recheck the arithmetic and whether the result makes clinical sense.

The order is $500\,\text{mg}$; each tablet contains $250\,\text{mg}$. How many tablets?

$500\,\text{mg} \div 250\,\text{mg/tablet} = 2$ tablets.

The order is $375\,\text{mg}$; the liquid contains $125\,\text{mg}$ per $5\,\text{mL}$. What volume is needed?

$375\,\text{mg} \times \left(\frac{5\,\text{mL}}{125\,\text{mg}}\right) = 15\,\text{mL}$.