NHRA Pharmacist Exam flashcards
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32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Bioavailability
- The fraction of an administered dose that reaches systemic circulation unchanged, determined by extent and rate of absorption and by first-pass metabolism.
- Volume of distribution
- The apparent volume relating the amount of drug in the body to its plasma concentration, calculated as dose divided by plasma concentration after distribution.
- Half-life
- The time required for plasma concentration to fall by half during first-order elimination, equal to 0.693 divided by the elimination rate constant.
- Clearance
- The volume of plasma cleared of drug per unit time, calculated as the product of volume of distribution and elimination rate constant.
- First-pass metabolism
- Hepatic metabolism of an orally absorbed drug before it reaches systemic circulation, reducing bioavailability and often requiring higher oral doses.
- Therapeutic index
- The ratio of the toxic dose to the effective dose; a narrow index means small dose changes can cause toxicity and warrants monitoring.
- Competitive antagonist
- An agent that binds the receptor reversibly and shifts the agonist dose-response curve rightward without reducing maximal efficacy at high agonist concentrations.
- Prodrug
- An inactive chemical derivative converted in the body to the active drug, often used to improve absorption, stability, or targeting.
- CYP450 induction
- Increased expression of cytochrome P450 enzymes after repeated exposure to an inducer, lowering concentrations of co-administered substrate drugs.
- Naranjo scale
- A validated questionnaire scoring the probability that a drug caused an adverse reaction, with scores classifying causality from doubtful to definite.
- Type A adverse reaction
- A dose-dependent, predictable adverse reaction resulting from the drug's known pharmacology, such as bleeding with anticoagulants.
- Type B adverse reaction
- An idiosyncratic, unpredictable adverse reaction not explained by the drug's known pharmacology, such as anaphylaxis or unusual organ toxicity.
- Signal detection
- The process of comparing observed adverse event reports with expected rates to identify previously unrecognized or incompletely documented safety concerns.
- High-alert medication
- A drug that carries a heightened risk of significant patient harm when used in error, requiring additional safeguards such as double checks.
- Medication reconciliation
- A formal process of comparing a patient's medication list across care transitions to identify and resolve discrepancies and prevent errors.
- Therapeutic drug monitoring
- Measurement of drug concentrations in blood to individualize dosing for drugs with narrow therapeutic index and clear concentration-effect relationships.
- Cockcroft-Gault equation
- A formula estimating creatinine clearance from age, weight, sex, and serum creatinine, commonly used to guide renal dose adjustment.
- Steady state
- The condition in which drug input equals elimination, reached after approximately four to five half-lives of constant dosing.
- Loading dose
- A larger initial dose calculated as volume of distribution times target concentration divided by bioavailability, used to reach therapeutic levels quickly.
- Alligation
- A calculation method using proportional parts to determine the ratio in which two preparations of different strengths must be mixed to obtain a target strength.
- Sodium chloride equivalent
- The mass of sodium chloride that produces the same osmotic effect as one gram of a drug, used to calculate isotonicity adjustments.
- Body surface area dosing
- A method of scaling doses using estimated surface area, often calculated by the Mosteller formula from height and weight.
- Beyond-use date
- The date after which a compounded preparation must not be used, determined from stability data and the dosage form's water content.
- Bioequivalence
- The absence of a significant difference in rate and extent of absorption between two pharmaceutically equivalent products, typically shown within 80 to 125 percent.
- Enteric coating
- A coating that resists gastric acid and dissolves in the more alkaline intestine, protecting acid-labile drugs or the gastric mucosa.
- Zero-order kinetics
- Elimination at a constant rate independent of concentration, so a fixed amount is removed per unit time and half-life varies with concentration.
- Informed consent
- A patient's voluntary agreement to treatment after understanding the purpose, risks, benefits, and alternatives, given while competent.
- Pharmacovigilance
- The science of detecting, assessing, understanding, and preventing adverse effects or other drug-related problems after medicines are marketed.
- Formulary
- A continually reviewed list of approved medicines that guides prescribing, purchasing, and reimbursement decisions within a health system.
- ABC inventory analysis
- A stock classification method ranking items by value, with the highest-value class receiving the tightest control and most frequent review.
- Teach-back method
- A counseling technique in which the patient restates instructions in their own words so the pharmacist can confirm understanding.
- Transtheoretical model
- A behavior-change framework describing stages from precontemplation through contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance.