CAM		Documentation of all pharmacotherapies received by the patient.
Drug		Medication is administered as required by the patient's condition.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)		As soon as possible order that should be available for administration to the patient within 30 minutes of the written order.
Pharmacology		Study of how the body responds to drugs.
Pharmacotherapy		Mechanism whereby drugs are absorbed across the intestinal wall and enter into the hepatic portal circulation.
Therapeutics		Ability of a drug to reach the bloodstream and its target tissues.
Bioavailability		General term for any substance capable of producing biologic responses in the body.
Chemical name		The branch of medicine concerned with the treatment of disease and suffering.
Generic name		Drug that is capable of binding with receptors to induce a cellular response.
Mechanism of action		The study of medicines; the discipline pertaining to how drugs improve or maintain health.
Prototype drug		Acquired hyperresponse of body defenses to a foreign substance (allergen).
Trade name		The way in which a drug exerts its effects.
Allergic reaction		Order written in advance of a situation that is to be carried out under specific circumstances.
Anaphylaxis		The taking of multiple drugs concurrently.
ASAP order		Dispensation of medications via a needle into the skin layers.
Buccal route		Any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care provider, patient, or consumer.
Enteral route		Proprietary name of a drug assigned by the manufacturer; also called the brand name or product name.
Enteric coated		Treatments considered outside the realm of conventional Western medicine
Intradermal (ID)		Total of all biochemical reactions in the body.
Parenteral route		The process of removing substances from the body.
PRN order		Administration of a tablet or capsule by placing it in the oral cavity between the gum and the cheek.
Standing order		Medication administered into the dermis layer of the skin.
STAT order		The process of transporting drugs through the body.
Subcutaneous		Strict chemical nomenclature used for naming drugs established by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).
Sublingual route		Medication delivered beneath the skin.
Absorption		The length of time required for the plasma concentration of a drug to decrease by half after administration.
Distribution		Referring to tablets that have a hard, waxy coating designed to dissolve in the alkaline environment of the small intestine.
Excretion		Well-understood model drug
First-pass effect		The ability of a drug to produce a desired response.
Metabolism		U.S. agency responsible for the evaluation and approval of new drugs.
Pharmacokinetics		Study of how drugs are handled by the body.
Plasma half-life (t 1/2)		Drug that blocks the response of another drug.
Agonist		Treatment or prevention of disease by means of drugs.
Antagonist		Nonproprietary name of a drug assigned by the government.
Efficacy		Acute allergic response to an antigen that results in severe hypotension and may lead to life-threatening shock if untreated.
Pharmacodynamics		Administration of drugs orally, and through nasogastric or gastrostomy tubes.
Polypharmacy		Administration of medication by placing it under the tongue and allowing it to dissolve slowly.
Medication administration record (MAR)		Any medication that is needed immediately and is to be given only once.
Medication error		The process of moving a drug across body membranes.