Essential Medical Terminology and Pharmacy Practice
Understanding Medications and Interactions
What are side effects? An undesired effect of a drug or other type of treatment. In some cases, they can lead to complications and can be life-threatening.
What are interactions? They are alterations in the effects of a drug due to the presence or action of another medication, food, or supplement, which can increase, decrease, or modify its expected effect.
Common Symptoms and Conditions
- Difficulty swallowing: Hard to get food down the throat.
- Heartburn: Burning sensation in the stomach or chest.
- Sweating: Liquid on the skin from being hot.
- Gas: A lot of air in the stomach.
- Rash: Red spots on the skin, usually causing itching.
- Vomiting: Getting sick from the stomach, bringing food back out through the mouth.
- Allergic reaction: An illness caused by an allergy, a condition common for some people (e.g., nut allergy).
- Diarrhea: Having to use the toilet too often, loose stool.
- Dizziness: Light-headed, not able to stand up easily, feeling faint.
- Fatigue: Generally being tired, no energy.
- Flu symptoms: May include sore throat, body aches, and fever.
- Itching: Wanting to scratch the skin.
- Drowsiness: Wanting to fall asleep.
- Constipation: Not able to go to the bathroom, difficulty emptying bowels.
- Nausea: Upset stomach, stomachache.
- Pain: General feeling of hurt.
Prescription vs. Over-the-Counter (OTC)
What can you buy with a prescription? Antibiotics, painkillers, antidepressants, or specific treatments prescribed by a doctor.
What can you buy without a prescription? Aspirin, paracetamol, cough syrup, antiseptic cream.
Brand Name vs. Generic: Generic medicine is usually cheaper and has the same active ingredients as brand-name medicine, so it works just as well.
First Aid and Emergency Care
Key Terms:
- Injury: Damage to someone’s body.
- Tool: A piece of equipment used to help you do something.
- Indicator: A sign which gives information about something.
- Basic Life Support (BLS): A level of assistance for victims in life-threatening situations provided by a trained person.
- Primary Care: Day-to-day health care given to patients by qualified providers.
- CPR: A life-saving first aid procedure of chest compressions for patients in cardiac arrest.
- Primary Survey: A quick initial assessment of a patient’s health.
- Secondary Survey: A more detailed assessment involving close observation.
- Puncture: An injury that is a small hole in the body.
Pharmacy Operations and Inventory
- Stock: The total number of items for sale in a shop.
- Compounding: The combination or modification of ingredients to suit a patient’s specific needs.
- Sell: The action of giving something to a client in return for money.
- Advise: The action of suggesting something to someone.
- Buy: The action of getting something by paying money.
- Batch-preparation: The process of compounding many identical items to have stock.
- Dispense Medication: Giving medicine to patients in a pharmacy.
Pharmacy Assistant Responsibilities
A pharmacy assistant dispenses and sells two kinds of products: medicines (with prescriptions) and products without it (OTC). They serve customers from the counter, use the cash desk to process payments, and track the inventory in the storage room by monitoring expiration dates. They also organize the medicine shelf for easy access.
First Aid Kit Essentials
- Survival blanket, sticking plaster, first aid manual, torch, scissors, first aid box, bandage, antiseptic wipes, tweezers, safety pins, sterile gauze, rubber gloves, sterile dressings, and instant cold pack.