The nurse learns that a patient cannot afford a prescribed medication and enlists the assistance of the social worker and an outside agency to provide medications at a lower cost. Which QSEN competency do the nurse’s actions best demonstrate?

a) Pharmacoeconomics focuses on the cost-effectiveness of drugs and their impact on healthcare systems, not the administration of drugs for specific treatments.

b) Pharmacotherapeutics is the study of how drugs are used to treat, prevent, and diagnose diseases. Since all three nurses are administering medications for diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive purposes, their actions fall under pharmacotherapeutics.

c) Pharmacodynamics refers to the mechanism of action of drugs, including how they interact with receptors and produce physiological effects, but it does not describe drug administration.

d) Pharmacokinetics deals with the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs, but this question is focused on the purpose of drug administration rather than its movement through the body.

A. Assessment is the first phase of the nursing process, during which the nurse gathers relevant patient data, such as allergies and lab values, to ensure safe medication administration. This step helps identify potential risks and contraindications.

B. Evaluation occurs after the medication has been administered and involves assessing the patient's response to the drug. In this case, the nurse is reviewing information before administration, making evaluation an incorrect choice.

C. Implementation refers to carrying out the nursing interventions, such as actually administering the medication. Since the nurse is still reviewing data, this step has not yet been reached.

D. Planning involves setting goals and determining appropriate interventions, but it does not include the direct collection of patient data. Reviewing lab values and allergies falls under the assessment phase.