Glossary of terms
 Pharmacy Glossary
Adverse drug event — harm to a patient that is caused by a given drug.

Aseptic — sterile; free from infection or foreign material.

Contraindication — a condition that renders a particular type of medication as undesirable or improper for use.

Dose — a quantity to be administered at one time.

Efficacy — the ability of a drug to produce the desired therapeutic effect.

Formulary — a pre-determined inventory of drugs and medications.

Frequency — the number of times each day that a medication is administered.

Hyperalimentation — the administration of protein, carbohydrates, and fat via an intravenous tube in order to provide nutrition to a patient who cannot ingest food orally.

Interaction — an effect that is produced when two drugs are administered together and the effectiveness of one or both of the drugs is either enhanced or diminished by the other.

Intravenous (IV) additives — intravenous preparations that involve the mixing of drugs into IV solutions, including chemotherapy medications for cancer treatments and hyperalimentation solutions for the administration of nutrition via an intravenous tube.

Laminar flow hoods — worktables that provide an enclosed sterile environment to protect solutions from contamination while they are prepared.

Monitoring — ongoing review of a drug regimen to assure that the patient gets the maximum benefits while experiencing the fewest possible side effects.

Pharmacokinetic dosing — dosing a drug based on blood levels and the ability to eliminate the drug from the body with the goal of attaining efficacious blood levels while avoiding toxicity.

Point of service access — delivery of services directly at the point of hands-on care for the patient.

Protocol — a pre-determined, evidence based treatment plan

Regimen — a strictly regulated course of medication designed to achieve optimal results.

Routes of administration — the method by which a drug is administered into the body, such as by mouth (orally)or through an intravenous (IV) tube.

Toxicity — the process of a drug being poisonous to the body.

Unit dose drug dispensing — a technology that distributes all medications to the clinical unit in individual packages that identify its name and dose. The packaging is a safeguard that ensures identification of the drug up to the moment it is administered to the patient. Unit-dose packaging is a major safety measure that helps to reduce the risk of drug distribution errors.

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