NURS 202 Respiratory Medications Cheat Sheet: Bronchodilators, Corticosteroids, and Oxygen Safety
Emory University
Pharmacology for Nursing (NURS 202) | Cheat Sheet

Overview
A nursing pharmacology quick sheet for asthma/COPD medication classes, priority assessments, inhaler teaching, steroid safety, and oxygen precautions.

Key topics
•short-acting and long-acting beta agonists
•anticholinergic bronchodilators and expected effects
•inhaled vs systemic corticosteroids
•rescue vs maintenance inhaler teaching
•oxygen safety, COPD cautions, and priority respiratory assessment

Suggested study tasks
•match 18 respiratory meds to class and teaching point
•write patient teaching for 8 inhaler scenarios
•practice 10 rescue-vs-maintenance decisions
•list steroid adverse effects and mouth-rinse teaching
•review oxygen safety red flags

Common pitfalls
•using maintenance inhalers as rescue therapy
•forgetting to assess respiratory status first
•missing steroid mouth-rinse teaching
•mixing beta agonists and anticholinergics
•ignoring oxygen safety around flames