Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) Practice Test

What is the term that describes how a drug moves throughout the body?

1. Pharmacodynamics

2. Pharmacokinetics

3. Pharmacology

4. Pharmacotherapeutics

The correct answer is: Pharmacokinetics

The term that describes how a drug moves throughout the body is pharmacokinetics. This area of study focuses on the processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs. It addresses how the body interacts with the drug after it is administered, including how quickly the drug spreads through the tissues, how it is metabolized by the liver, and how it is ultimately eliminated from the body. Pharmacodynamics, on the other hand, relates to the effects of the drug on the body and how biological systems respond to drugs, rather than the movement of the drug itself. Pharmacology is a broader field that encompasses both pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, as well as the development and properties of drugs. Pharmacotherapeutics specifically deals with the use of drugs to treat diseases and the therapeutic effects of those drugs, which does not focus on the movement of the drug within the body. Thus, pharmacokinetics is the most precise term for describing the movement of drugs throughout the body.