Download Understanding Drug Labels

Understanding
Drug Labels
Chapter 8
MAT 119
Drug Names
• Brand, trade, proprietary
– Manufacturer’s name for a drug
– Brand name is usually most prominent
–® - means registered
–™ - means Trade Mark
• Generic
– Established, nonproprietary name
– Generic name must be on all drug labels
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Brand and Generic Names
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Identify the Brand Name
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Identify the Generic Name
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Identify Drug Name: Generic
or Brand?
Note: Generic Name only
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Dosage Strength
• Dosage weight or amount of drug provided
in a specific unit of measurement
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Form (more in Chapter 10)
• Structure and composition of drug
– Solid forms for oral use
– Injectable
– Suppositories
– Creams
– Patches
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Identify Form
Note apothecary & is incorrect
Should be gr 1/150
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Identify Form
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Supply Dosage
• Both dosage and form
– Dosage per tablet
– Dosage per milliliter
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Total Volume
• Full quantity contained in bottle or vial
– Total number of tablets or other solids
– Total fluid volume for liquids
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Administration Route
• Site of body or method of drug delivery
– Oral
• Tablets, capsusles, caplets
– Enteral (into the GI tract via tube)
– Sublingual
– Injection (IV, IM, subcut)
– Topical
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Identify the Administration
Route
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Directions for Reconstituting
Some drugs are dispensed in powder form and must be
reconstituted for use (more in chapter 12)
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Continued
Directions for reconstitution
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Continued
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Continued
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Label Alerts
• Warnings or special alerts
– Examples
• Refrigerate at all times
• Keep in a dry place
Alert
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Name of Manufacturer
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Expiration Date
• The medication should be used, discarded or
returned to the pharmacy by the expiration
date.
Exp in powder form
Exp when reconstituted
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Lot or Control Numbers
• Important if drug is recalled – required by
Federal Law
• Quickly identifies a particular group of
medication packages
Control No.
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National Drug Code (NDC)
• Every drugs has an NDC – similar to SS#
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Controlled Substance
Schedule
• Classifies drugs according to potential for use
and abuse
– Schedule I – highest potential for abuse
– Schedule V – lowest potential for abuse
Has the letter C with
Roman Numerals
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Bar Code Symbols
• Used in retail sales; document drug dosing,
even at the patient’s bedside.
Bar Code
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United States Pharmacopeia (USP)
National Formulary (NF)
• The USP and NF are the two official
national lists of approved drugs.
• These initials are placed after the generic
drug name – be careful not to confuse a
drug form like SR – sustained release
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Unit or Single-Dose Labels
• Most oral and some IV medications given
in the hospital setting are available in
single (unit) doses.
• The total volume is usually
omitted on these containers
because they only hold a single
dose.
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Combination Drugs
• Some medications are a combination of two or more
drugs in one form.
• Combination drugs are sometimes prescribed by the
number of caplets, capsules or milliliters to be given
rather than by dosage strength (ex. Percocet).
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Supply Dosage expressed as
a Percent
• Percentage (%) solutions express the number of
grams of the drug per 100 milliliters of solution.
• Betoptic Opthalmic Solution 0.5%
– contains 0.5 g of drug per 100 mL
0.5g : 100 mL = 500 mg : 100 mL = 5 mg/mL
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Supply Dosage expressed as
a Ratio
• Ratio solutions express the number of grams of
the drug per total milliliters of solution.
• Epinephrine 1:10,000
– contains 1 g of the drug per 10,000 mL solution
1 g: 10,000 mL = 1,000 mg: 10,000 mL = 1 mg/10 mL
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Check Labels
Before administering a medication to a
patient, check the drug label three times:
1. On first contact - against the medication
order or MAR
2. When preparing the medication
3. Before administering it.
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Six Rights of Medication
Administration
– Right patient
– Right drug
– Right amount
– Right route
– Right time
– Right documentation
• The right patient must receive the right
drug in the right amount by the right route
at the right time, followed by the right
documentation.
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Identify parts of the
drug label
Brand name?
Route?
Label alerts?
Manufacturer?
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Identify parts of the drug
label
•NDC #?
•Generic name?
•Route?
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Identify parts of the drug label
oSupply dosage?
oVolume?
oBrand name?
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