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2.6: Key Terms

  • Page ID
    90403
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    absorption
    the transmission of a drug from the site of administration to the bloodstream
    adverse drug reaction
    an undesirable, unexpected, and potentially dangerous response to a drug that occurs at therapeutic drug dosages
    affinity
    the strength of attraction of a drug to a receptor site; drugs with high affinity have a strong attraction to the receptor
    agonist
    a drug that interacts with a receptor, causing a response
    antagonist
    a drug that blocks a receptor, thus blocking an agonist from binding to the receptor and activating it
    bioavailability
    the drug concentration available to bind to receptors at its target tissue or site of action; a subcategory of absorption
    body surface area
    the total surface area of the human body; to be used as a tool in the calculation of dosing medications
    cutaneous
    relating to the skin
    deltoid
    a muscular area located above the armpit and 2 to 3 fingerbreadths below the acromion process used for small intramuscular injections (less than 1 mL of medication)
    dependence
    when the body has a physiological or psychological need for a drug
    distribution
    the transportation of medication to the sites of action via bodily fluids; it is influenced by the ability to travel to the site of action through the bloodstream
    duration of action
    the length of time that a drug’s concentration is sufficient to cause a therapeutic response
    enteral
    the administration of medication via the gastrointestinal (GI) tract
    excretion
    the elimination of drugs from the body, primarily through the kidneys
    first-pass effect
    a phenomenon in which an oral drug gets metabolized at a specific location in the body that results in a reduced concentration of the active drug upon reaching its site of action
    half-life
    the time it takes for the serum drug concentration to be reduced by 50%
    health literacy
    an individual’s ability to obtain, understand, and make appropriate decisions based on information to promote their health and wellness
    indication
    the reason why a drug might be given
    intramuscular
    the administration of a drug into a muscle
    intravenous (IV)
    the administration of a drug directly into a vein
    intrinsic activity
    the maximal effect that can be produced by a drug
    ligand
    a molecule that binds to a receiving protein molecule or receptor
    mechanism of action
    the way a drug produces its effects on the body, or the way a drug works
    medication reconciliation
    the process of identifying and verifying the most accurate list of medications that a client is taking, including the drug name, dosage, frequency, and route that the client is taking
    metabolism
    where a drug is changed into a less active or an inactive form by the action of enzymes—usually in the liver—and then is excreted in the stool or urine; metabolism prepares a drug for excretion from the body
    minimum effective concentration (MEC)
    the minimum concentration of a drug that produces an intended therapeutic effect
    onset of action
    the time at which a drug produces a therapeutic effect after drug administration
    parenteral
    the administration of medication anywhere other than the gastrointestinal (GI) tract
    partial agonist
    drugs that function as either agonists or antagonists depending upon the level of the surrounding full agonist
    peak
    the time during which a drug has the maximum serum concentration
    pharmacodynamics
    the way a drug interacts with receptors, target cells, body systems, and organs to produce effects, or what the drug does to the body
    pharmacokinetics
    the movement of a drug through the body, or what the body does to the drug
    receptor
    a reactive site on the surface or inside of a cell; often what happens with a drug is that it attaches itself to a receptor to elicit a therapeutic response
    side effect
    secondary effects produced by a drug at therapeutic doses
    subcutaneous
    the administration of a drug into the adipose (fat) tissue
    therapeutic effectiveness
    the drug is doing what the drug is supposed to do—the most important quality a drug should have
    therapeutic index
    the ratio of the dose of a drug that produces a therapeutic effect to the dose that causes toxicity; sometimes known as the therapeutic window
    tolerance
    a condition where the body adapts to a substance (drug) after repeated administration, and gradually, over time, the body requires higher doses to achieve the same initial effect (often seen in opioid use)
    toxicity
    excessive amounts of a serum drug level in the body, usually seen when the body’s normal mechanism for metabolizing or excreting a drug is compromised
    transdermal
    topical administration of a drug through a patch on the skin
    ventrogluteal
    a muscular area below the iliac crest on the lateral aspect of the thigh considered to be the safest, most preferred site for intramuscular injections

    This page titled 2.6: Key Terms is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by OpenStax.

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