Divide your index cards into six sections or boxes.
Label the first section "Drug name and classification." In this section, write down the generic name of the drug you are studying, its trade name, its classification and the names of other drugs in the same class.
Write "Action and therapeutic use" as the title of the next section. In this section, write down the physiologic action of the drug and what the therapeutic use of the drug is or what conditions it is prescribed for.
Make the title of the third section "Side effects and adverse effects." Fill in this section with the side effects and adverse effects of the drug. Highlight the adverse effects.
Label the fourth section "Labs to monitor." Write down the laboratory tests and values that need to be monitored to check for the effects of the drugs on certain organs.
Write down "Nursing interventions " as the title of the fifth section. In this section, write down what the nurse should assess the patient for, activities the nurse should perform to prevent harm from coming to the patient and what the nurse needs to teach the patient about the drug.
Label the last section as "Additional information". Fill in this section with any information that you feel you need to know, such as contraindications of the drug.