All You Pharm Experts - Need Answers

[KristinWW]

I swear I'm going nuts - on my pharm test we had two questions that I've researched everywhere and continue to find the answers I have, which the professor tells the class are not correct. Can I have your input?

Question 1: When providing drug education to a patient beginning long-term warfarin therapy, which of the following comments by the patient would indicate a need for additional instruction?

a) "Garlic preparations may increase my risk of bleeding"

b) "Feverfew preparations may increase my risk of bleeding"

c) "Valerian preparations may increase my risk of bleeding"

d) "Ginger root preparations may increase my risk of bleeding"

Question 2: At what point are errors most likely in the process of selecting, giving and evaluating drugs?

a) Prescribing the medication

b) Selecting the right medication for the patient

c) Predicting the results of the medication reaction

d) Administering the drugs

Thank you!

[Agnus]

I swear I'm going nuts - on my pharm test we had two questions that I've researched everywhere and continue to find the answers I have, which the professor tells the class are not correct. Can I have your input?

Question 1: When providing drug education to a patient beginning long-term warfarin therapy, which of the following comments by the patient would indicate a need for additional instruction?

a) "Garlic preparations may increase my risk of bleeding"

b) "Feverfew preparations may increase my risk of bleeding"

c) "Valerian preparations may increase my risk of bleeding"

d) "Ginger root preparations may increase my risk of bleeding"

Question 2: At what point are errors most likely in the process of selecting, giving and evaluating drugs?

a) Prescribing the medication

b) Selecting the right medication for the patient

c) Predicting the results of the medication reaction

d) Administering the drugs

Thank you!

Garlic, Ginger, and Feverfew can all cause incresed risk of bleeding when taken with an anticoagulant like Cumadin. So the correct answer is Valerian.

Two reference that you may find useful are Professional's Handbook of Compolementary and Alternative Medicines by Charles Fetrow and Juan Avila, published by Springhouse, And Nursing 2004 Herbal Medicine Handbook 2nd edition published by lippincott.

IMHO predicting the results of a medication reaction is the most difficult and most likely to be wrong for any given patient.

[Agnus]

Opps! I did not see that you already posted the answer when I posted my reply. Oh well it is good to see that my instincts were on tract.

You said that you do not understand why predicting results was the correct answer. It is, I believe because perscribing is really relatively simple and routine. As is selecting a drug and adminsitration.

We know which drugs can be given for certain things,

and we know what dosage is usual.

Admisistering is following basic steps (largely a mechanical process) However, because of individual differences we can not for sure know what a particular drug will do inside a particular body at a given point in time. This is just too unpredictable.

Certainly errors can and do occure at any point but they can be controlled and even prevented when administering, perscribing or selecting a drug by double checking and following the proper steps.

However, it does not matter how many times or how carefully you check what a drug is suposed to do or the expected side effects you do not know for sure what it will do in this patient.