Chapter Summary

This chapter described drug administration as it relates to the nursing process and nursing clinical judgment. The importance of client teaching during drug administration was explained, and the components of teaching and learning were discussed. The processes of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics were clarified with the concepts of half-life, bioavailability, and therapeutic index. This chapter reviewed the different routes of medication administration and nursing interventions related to drug administration. The chapter finished with an explanation of drug calculations and a review of the systems of measurement.