50
P A R T 1
Introduction to nursing pharmacology
and regulates product for therapeutic uses. MEDSAFE
collects information on the safety and quality of
medicines from the Centre for Adverse Reaction and
Monitoring (CARM) and other regulatory authorities
such as the FDA (America), EMA (Europe) and TGA
(Australia) after they have been approved. This is called
pharmacovigilance.
Pharmacovigilance
involves:
• Monitoring the use of medicines in everyday practice
to identify previously unrecognised adverse effects or
changes in the patterns of adverse effects.
• Assessing the risks and benefits of medicines to
determine if action is required to improve their safe
use.
• Providing information to healthcare professionals and
consumers to promote safe use of medicines.
• Monitoring the impact of any action taken and
assessing whether further action is required.
Institutions also have their own policies for report-
ing medication errors that protect people and staff and
identify particular areas in which education or system
changes may be needed. Always be aware of the policies
of your employing institution or agency. If you see
or participate in a medication error, report it to your
institution, and then report it to the national report-
ing program. Your report will be shared with all of the
appropriate agencies—the TGA and the drug manu-
facturer. Healthcare providers working together and
sharing information can make a big impact in decreas-
ing the occurrence of medication errors.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
■■
Nursing is a complex art and science that provides for
nurturing and care of the sick, as well as prevention
and education services.
■■
Midwifery is also a complex art and science
providing care for childbearing women and their
families, as well as promotion of women’s health
across the lifespan.
■■
Components of health assessment (history of past
illnesses and the current complaint, as well as a
physical examination) provide a database of baseline
information to ensure safe administration of a drug
and to evaluate the drug’s effectiveness and adverse
effects.
■■
Assessment must include information on the history
of past illnesses and the current complaint, as well as
a physical examination; this provides a database of
baseline information to ensure safe administration
of a drug and to evaluate the drug’s effectiveness and
adverse effects.
■■
Care priorities are developed from the information
gathered during health assessment. Implementation
involves taking the information gathered and
synthesised into care priorities to plan appropriate
care. This process includes determining desired
outcomes, setting goals for safe and effective drug
administration, providing comfort measures to help
the person cope with the therapeutic or adverse
effects of a drug and providing education for the
person and their family to ensure safe and effective
drug therapy.
■■
Evaluation is part of the continuing process of
care provision that leads to changes in assessment,
diagnosis and intervention. The person is continually
evaluated for therapeutic response, the occurrence
of adverse drug effects and the occurrence of
drug–drug, drug–food, drug–alternative therapy
or drug–laboratory test interactions.
■■
Care plans and educational materials can be prepared
for each drug being given, using information about a
drug’s therapeutic effects, adverse effects and special
considerations.
■■
Prevention of medication errors is a complicated
task that involves the prescriber, the pharmacist, the
nurse or midwife administering the drugs and the
person. Nurses and midwives need to be vigilant in
administering drugs and to check the seven “rights”
of drug administration. The person needs to be
educated to be their own advocate and to take steps
to avoid medication errors.
Pharmacology:
Intramuscular injection
Pharmacology:
Intravenous injection
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ONLINE RESOURCES
An extensive range of additional resources to enhance teaching
and learning and to facilitate understanding of this chapter may
be found online at the text’s accompanying website, located on
thePoint at
These include Watch and
Learn videos, Concepts in Action animations, journal articles,
review questions, case studies, discussion topics and quizzes.
In Australia, adverse drug events are reported to the
Australian Government, Department of Health and
Ageing, Therapeutic Goods Administration. These can
be reported either electronically or by mail. Go online
to:
Consumers can report directly by telephone on
1300 134 237.
■■
BOX 4.2
Reporting adverse drugs events
