Now that we have reviewed basic concepts, we will take a closer look at specific respiratory classifications  and specific administration considerations, therapeutic effects, adverse/side effects, and teaching needed for each class of medications.

Administration Considerations

Drugs related to gas exchange are given through multiple routes including inhalation, oral, sublingual, injectable, and nebulized.  It is important to consider how these routes are impacted by your client’s needs. For example, children may struggle with certain routes such as inhalation.  As a nurse, you must anticipate the needs of your client and mitigate complications. In this example, the nurse can provide an aerosol chamber to support the client getting the proper medication.

Therapeutic Effects

Nurses are responsible for monitoring the effects of any medications we administer. The therapeutic effect is the result we expect to see from administering a drug.  In the next few chapters, you will learn about different drugs used for clients and the therapeutic effect of each drug. It is important to note that since we are discussing respiratory drugs, likely one of the therapeutic effects will be improved breathing.

Adverse and Side Effects

Side effects are the negative consequence of taking medications.  It is important that nurses understand what side effects may occur and try to prevent these from happening. Adverse effects and side effects must be considered when deciding to take a medication. The benefit of the medication must out weigh the negative effects.

Client Teaching

Health Literacy is an important concept in medication administration and the nurse’s role.  We must ensure our clients are comfortable and confident in the medication process and their knowledge about the medications they are taking. Before discharging a client from care, the nurse should ensure that the client fully understands their medications, how to take them, side effects that might happen, and the therapeutic effects we expect to see.

Extra Resources

In the next chapters we will look at drug classifications related to gas exchange.

Medication cards are useful in the clinical setting and to help with learning the meds. In this chapter, some of the drug classes have individual med cards and they are located within each unit. You have the option to download and edit as needed.  The following Comparing Respiratory Medications is also an option to support your learning. Download and edit as needed.

Downloadable file (.docx): Chapter 8 Comparing Respiratory Medications med cards