NURS 3100 Exam 1 Practice

What does a nursing student's understanding of the therapeutic index help identify?

1. Interactions among the drugs each patient is receiving

2. The best drug for the patient prescribed by the physician

3. The patients who will need to have serum blood levels monitored

4. Whether patients are receiving safe doses of the medications

The correct answer is: The patients who will need to have serum blood levels monitored

Understanding the therapeutic index helps identify the patients who will need to have serum blood levels monitored. The therapeutic index is a ratio that compares the amount of a therapeutic agent that causes the therapeutic effect to the amount that causes toxicity. Monitoring serum blood levels is crucial for medications with a narrow therapeutic index as it helps ensure that patients are within the safe and effective dosage range. Option A is incorrect because interactions among drugs a patient is receiving are typically identified through drug-drug interaction assessments. Option B is incorrect because the best drug for a patient prescribed by a physician is determined based on various factors beyond just the therapeutic index. Option D is incorrect because while the therapeutic index does relate to safe doses of medications, the specific monitoring of serum blood levels is more directly associated with ensuring the medication's therapeutic range and minimizing toxicity.