NURS 3100 Exam 1 Practice

When a client asks how long it will take for an oral medication to take effect, which concepts should the nurse consider?

1. Drugs with short half-lives are ineffective in treating systemic illnesses

2. Duration of action is the amount of time a drug is effective

3. Peak plasma levels rarely occur with oral medications

4. The amount of time between administration and the drug taking effect is known as the onset of action

The correct answer is: Drugs with short half-lives are ineffective in treating systemic illnesses

When answering this question, it is important to consider the concepts of half-life, duration of action, peak plasma levels, and onset of action. Option A is correct because drugs with short half-lives are ineffective in treating systemic illnesses because they are eliminated from the body quickly. Option B is incorrect because duration of action refers to how long a drug stays in the body, not how long it takes to have an effect. Option C is incorrect because peak plasma levels do occur with oral medications, but they may be lower and take longer to reach compared to other routes of administration. Option D is incorrect because onset of action refers to the time it takes for a drug to start working, not the amount of time between administration and the drug taking effect. Therefore, the most important concept to consider when answering this question is the half-life of a drug.