| Course | NU141 Pharmacology for Nursing |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 6 |
| Paper type | Patient education handout |
| Length | About 580 words, 5 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BSN (prelicensure) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NU141 Unit 6
One Under the Tongue, Then Call After Five Minutes: A Patient Education Handout on Sublingual Nitroglycerin for a Composite Man Going Home With Stable Angina, With a Second Page of Pharmacology for the Instructor
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
NU141: Pharmacology for Nursing
Unit 6 Patient Education Handout
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The patient is composite; the instructions follow common teaching for sublingual nitroglycerin, and the prescriber's directions govern.
Page One: Your Nitroglycerin Tablets
Your doctor prescribed nitroglycerin tablets for chest pain from angina. They work fast, within a few minutes. Keep them with you all the time.
When You Have Chest Pain
1. Stop what you are doing and sit down.
2. Put one tablet under your tongue. Let it melt. Do not chew or swallow it.
3. If the pain is not better or is worse after 5 minutes, call 911 now.
4. While you wait for help, you may take a second tablet. You may take a third tablet 5 minutes later. Do not take more than 3 tablets.
Call 911 Right Away If
Chest pain lasts more than 5 minutes after the first tablet.
Pain spreads to your arm, jaw or back, or comes with sweating, shortness of breath or feeling faint.
What You May Feel
A headache. This is common and often fades as you keep using the medicine.
Dizziness or lightheadedness. This is why you sit down first.
A warm or flushed face.
Keep Your Tablets Working
Keep them in the small glass bottle they came in, with the lid tight.
Do not keep them in a hot car or a damp bathroom.
Get a new bottle by the date on the label, or sooner if your pharmacist says so.
Do Not Take Nitroglycerin If
You have taken a medicine for erection problems, such as sildenafil or tadalafil, in the last 1 to 2 days. Taking both can make your blood pressure drop dangerously.
Questions? Call [clinic phone].
The handout's most important line is about the 911 call, because waiting through repeated tablets can delay care for a heart attack.
Page Two for the Instructor: The Pharmacology Behind Each Instruction
Page one is written in short numbered steps and plain words, a format that helps patients at every literacy level act correctly under stress (Weiss, 2007).
Mechanism. Nitroglycerin is converted to nitric oxide, which relaxes vascular smooth muscle. Its main effect in angina is dilating veins, which reduces the amount of blood returning to the heart, so the heart works less and needs less oxygen; it also dilates coronary arteries (Burchum & Rosenthal, 2022).
Why sublingual. The tablet is absorbed through the lining under the tongue straight into the bloodstream, bypassing the liver, which would destroy most of a swallowed dose. Effects begin within about two to five minutes.
Why sit down. Vasodilation can lower blood pressure and cause dizziness or fainting, especially when standing.
Why call 911 after the first tablet. If pain does not improve after one dose, it may be a heart attack rather than stable angina, and emergency care should not wait for three doses.
Why the headache. Dilation of blood vessels in the head causes headache, the most common side effect; tolerance to it often develops (Thadani & Rodgers, 2006).
Why glass, tight lid and no heat. Nitroglycerin is unstable and loses potency with heat, light, moisture and air.
Why no erectile dysfunction drugs. Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors also increase nitric oxide effects, and the combination can cause severe hypotension.
References
Burchum, J. R., & Rosenthal, L. D. (2022). Lehne's pharmacology for nursing care (11th ed.). Elsevier.
Thadani, U., & Rodgers, T. (2006). Side effects of using nitrates to treat angina. Expert Opinion on Drug Safety, 5(5), 667-674. https://doi.org/10.1517/14740338.5.5.667
Weiss, B. D. (2007). Health literacy and patient safety: Help patients understand (2nd ed.). American Medical Association Foundation.
NU141 Unit 6 instructions, in plain terms
Unit 6 usually asks for a handout teaching a patient to take a medication safely at home, often with a separate explanation for the instructor. Prompts commonly want plain language at an appropriate reading level, steps the patient can follow, warning signs and when to seek help, storage and interactions, plus a rationale page showing the pharmacology behind each point. Faculty look for a patient page free of mechanisms and jargon, with the most important safety instruction placed where it cannot be missed. The instructor page should match each instruction to its reason, supported by sources. Matching the handout to the specific drug's quirks, such as nitroglycerin's instability, shows careful preparation.
How this NU141 Unit 6 example is built
The patient page opens with a short explanation and the instruction to carry the tablets always. Numbered steps describe what to do during chest pain, followed by when to call 911, what he may feel, how to keep the tablets working and when not to take them. The highlighted line explains why the 911 instruction matters most. A margin note marks its placement before side effects. The instructor page opens with a sentence on plain-language format, then gives the reason behind each instruction in turn: mechanism, sublingual absorption, sitting down, calling after one tablet, headache, storage and the danger of combining with phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. Every patient instruction has a twin on the instructor page.
Reading the NU141 Unit 6 grading rubric
Medication handouts in NU 141 are usually marked on accuracy, readability, prioritization of safety information, and the quality of the instructor page. Accuracy earns credit for correct dosing steps and limits. Readability rewards short sentences, everyday words and numbered steps. Safety prioritization points go to placing emergency instructions prominently and naming dangerous interactions clearly. The instructor page is judged on whether every patient instruction has a matching pharmacological reason supported by sources cited in APA 7. Handouts that fit on a single page for the patient, with the rationale kept separate, usually meet the brief best. Testing the patient page on someone without health training is a useful check. A handout the patient could follow during an episode of chest pain, without stopping to interpret, is the standard.
NU141 Unit 6 help from the desk
Handouts often explain how the drug works on the patient page, which adds length without helping the patient act. Another common problem is burying the emergency instruction in the middle or making it conditional on taking three tablets first. Some leave out storage, though nitroglycerin loses strength with heat, light and moisture. Many miss the interaction with erectile dysfunction drugs. Keep the patient page to actions, place the 911 rule early and plainly, include storage and the key interaction, use numbered steps, and put every reason on the instructor page, matched instruction by instruction. Read the patient page aloud and cut any word a patient would stumble over.
Get an NU141 Unit 6 example written to your instructions
Name the drug your Unit 6 handout covers, attach the rubric and any template, and mention whether a rationale page is expected. The patient's side reads plainly, the instructor's side carries sources, and readability is measured and reported. Three teach-back questions come with it. A first custom sample comes free, in 24-48h. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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NU141 Unit 6 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NU141 Unit 6 sample paper?
This page presents the complete NU141 Unit 6 handout on sublingual nitroglycerin, with a patient page of actions and an instructor page explaining the pharmacology behind each one, with three references. We can create a handout for your assigned medication.
When should a patient call 911 after taking nitroglycerin?
If chest pain is not better or is worse five minutes after the first tablet. Pain that does not respond may be a heart attack, and emergency care should not wait for three doses.
Why place nitroglycerin under the tongue?
The lining under the tongue absorbs the drug directly into the bloodstream, bypassing the liver, which would destroy most of a swallowed dose. It works within a few minutes.
Why does nitroglycerin cause headaches?
It dilates blood vessels, including those in the head. Headache is the most common side effect and often fades as the patient continues to use the medicine.
Why avoid erectile dysfunction drugs with nitroglycerin?
Drugs such as sildenafil and tadalafil also increase nitric oxide effects. Combined with nitroglycerin, they can cause a severe, dangerous drop in blood pressure.