A nurse is having a discussion with another nurse regarding the narrow therapeutic range of a particular drug. A patient has been taking this drug for 1 week. What is the most significant implication for the nurse who is caring for this patient?
a. The drug will be ineffective, because it will have difficulty reaching the minimum effective concentration.
b. The patient's body will maintain therapeutic levels easily.
c. The patient's kidney function may be compromised.
d. The patient should be monitored carefully for toxicity.
ANS: D
Toxicity is the most significant implication for the nurse to consider in a medication with a narrow therapeutic range, and the patient should be monitored closely for signs of toxicity.
How effective the medication will be is not necessarily determined by the narrowness of the therapeutic range.
The drug may maintain therapeutic levels easily, but that is not the most significant implication of a narrow therapeutic range.
The therapeutic range of a medication is not related to the patient's kidney function.
You might also like to view...
During a cardiovascular assessment, the nurse knows that a thrill is:
a. Vibration that is palpable. b. Palpated in the right epigastric area. c. Associated with ventricular hypertrophy. d. Murmur auscultated at the third intercostal space.
The basic unit of length in the metric system is the
A. liter. B. meter. C. inch. D. gram.
A nurse is documenting end-of-life care. Which information will the nurse include in the patient's electronic medical record? (Select all that apply.)
a. Reason for the death b. Time and date of death c. How ethically the family grieved d. Location of body identification tags e. Time of body transfer and destination
A nurse has completed data analysis. Which of the following would the nurse identify first as the result?
A) Outcome evaluation B) Nursing diagnosis C) Interventions D) Plan of care