Administering medications

This fourth edition is a textbook for learning how medications are given safely. It opens with the basics of drug administration, the laws that govern drugs, and core pharmacology principles, then moves on to how drugs are handled, how physician orders are read and carried out, the routes by which medicines enter the body, and how to calculate doses. Later chapters explain how particular drugs act on each body system and on the disorders they treat.

The book uses several features to highlight common mistakes and build practical skills. CAUTION boxes flag frequent drug administration errors, while PATIENT EDUCATION boxes model how to explain medications clearly to patients. Step-by-step procedures appear throughout the text. Each chapter ends with critical thinking exercises and Internet activities.

This edition adds new chapters on vitamins, minerals, and herbs, and on antineoplastic drugs.