Deck 3: Legal Aspects Affecting the Administration of Medications

Question 1

Which drug distribution system is commonly used when ordering medication in an agency?

A) Multidose system
B) Health care system
C) Welfare system
D) Ward stock system

Answer 1

Ward stock system

Question 2

A nurse has administered the wrong medication to a patient.Which is the highest-priority nursing action at this time?

A) Document the occurrence in the patient record.
B) Notify the immediate supervisor of the error.
C) Complete an incident report and submit it to the nurse manager.
D) Evaluate the patient's condition and notify the physician.

Answer 2

Evaluate the patient's condition and notify the physician.

Question 3

Which is the correct interpretation of the following order: Rx Epifrin 0.25% 2 gtt OU bid?

A) Two drops in both eyes twice daily
B) Two drops in the left eye four times daily
C) Two drops in the right eye twice daily
D) Two drops in both eyes four times daily

Answer 3

Two drops in both eyes twice daily

Question 4

A patient is discharged from the hospital.To whom should all the medications the patient was taking that are classified as controlled substances be given?

A) The patient at discharge
B) The patient's family at discharge
C) The hospital pharmacy after the patient's discharge
D) Another hospital patient after the patient's discharge

Question 5

Which medication is an example of a controlled substance?

A) Birth control pills
B) An antibiotic
C) Codeine
D) A laxative

Question 6

Which is an example of a Schedule I controlled substance?

A) Morphine
B) Lomotil (diphenoxylate with atropine sulfate)
C) Heroin
D) Pentobarbital

Question 7

Which is a document that is considered to be a legal record and hospital property?

A) Kardex
B) Medication card
C) Armband
D) Patient chart

Question 8

Important information is recorded in a patient's hospital chart while the patient remains in the hospital.When a patient is discharged,which is true regarding the ownership of the patient's chart?

A) The patient owns the chart, but the hospital keeps the record.
B) The chart is a record that no one really owns. It is kept by the hospital.
C) The chart is a legal document that is owned by the state courts.
D) The chart is a legal document that is owned by the hospital.

Question 9

What is the missing component of the following medication order: Atropine 1 mg IV?

A) Frequency
B) Indication
C) Route
D) Dilution

Question 10

Meperidine,75 mg IV push,is ordered by the physician to be given stat.The nurse understands that this is which type of order?

A) Standing
B) Immediate
C) Flexible
D) Indefinite

Question 11

What should the nurse do first if a controlled substance is accidentally spilled or contaminated?

A) Obtain another dose from the narcotic control system.
B) Document the occurrence in the medication record.
C) Clean up the spill and notify the supervisor.
D) Ask another nurse to cosign the inventory record describing the situation.

Question 12

As the nurse is coming on duty to take over the day shift,the night nurse tells the nurse that she has already counted the controlled drugs for the day shift.What should the nurse do in this situation?

A) Do nothing; this is standard procedure.
B) Accept the keys and recount the drugs.
C) Recount the drugs with another nurse.
D) Count the drugs at the end of your shift.

Question 13

A patient brings his multivitamins to the hospital and asks the LPN/LVN if he can take them.Which is the nurse's best response?

A) "Yes, but I must keep them in the medication room."
B) "No, I have to obtain a doctor's order first."
C) "Yes, let me put them in your bedside stand for you."
D) "Not until the pharmacist adds them to your medication record."

Question 14

Which is an example of a single dose order?

A) Diflucan (fluconazole) 150 mg PO at 10:00 today only
B) Diflucan (fluconazole) 150 mg PO daily
C) Tylenol (acetaminophen) 325 mg PO every 6 hours PRN
D) Tylenol (acetaminophen) 650 mg PO stat

Question 15

The nurse is administering a controlled substance that is ordered in a smaller dose than what is available.What should the nurse do with the remaining amount of medication?

A) Save the remaining medication until the patient is scheduled to take the medication again.
B) Flush the remaining medication in the toilet in the patient's bathroom.
C) Ask another nurse to witness the waste, sign the inventory report, and document the situation.
D) Administer the dose that is available and not the smaller dose ordered.

Question 16

Enactment of which major federal drug regulations required that new drug products be proven both safe and effective before they could be approved for sale in the United States?

A) Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), 1938
B) Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act (Controlled Substances Act), 1970
C) Durham-Humphrey Amendment to the FD&C Act, 1951
D) Kefauver-Harris Amendment to the FD&C Act, 1962

Question 17

Which health care professional is licensed to prescribe controlled substances?

A) LPN/LVN
B) Physical therapist
C) Pharmacist
D) Physician

Question 18

A nurse is taking care of an older adult patient with hypertension.He was prescribed an antihypertensive medication; however,he has decided to use a cheaper herbal product that he can buy over the counter and which he thinks will lower his blood pressure.The patient tells this information to the nurse in an interview.Which is the best response to this patient?

A) "That sounds good, but you need to check your blood pressure often."
B) "There are several kinds of over-the-counter medications to choose from that can work."
C) "You will not need a prescription for over-the-counter medication, and it is cheaper."
D) "Herbal products are not regulated for effectiveness in treating hypertension."

Question 19

The order reads,Theochron 200 mg PO qid.The nurse understands that this is which type of medication order?

A) Priority
B) Standing
C) Flexible
D) Indefinite

Question 20

What is the title of legislation passed in 2001 for health care workers?

A) Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
B) Durham-Humphrey Amendment
C) Kefauver-Harris Amendment
D) Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act

Question 21

At change of shift,two nurses (one from each shift)discover a discrepancy in the narcotics inventory for morphine 5 mg/mL vials.The count is short by one vial.Which of the following steps should be taken to reconcile the count? (Select all that apply.)

A) Only nurses on the off-going shift that actually used the automated dispensing system or the narcotics cabinet should be asked about medication they have given.
B) Steps must be retraced to identify whether someone forgot to record any medication removed.
C) Check patient charts (MAR) to see if medication was given that was not signed for on the inventory report.
D) Notify security for large errors.
E) Notify the nursing supervisor (charge nurse) and the pharmacy department of any undocumented (unreconciled) discrepancy.

Question 22

The narcotic control system is used by nurses working in any hospital or agency.Which of the following are special conditions that all nurses must follow? (Select all that apply.)

A) Narcotics are watched by everyone on the unit.
B) Medication is stored in a special locked cabinet.
C) Narcotics may be borrowed from one patient to use for another patient.
D) The nurse signs for the medication.
E) An inventory must be kept on drugs.

Question 23

Which should the nurse do to identify medication errors in a patient's order? (Select all that apply.)

A) Clarify anything that is unreadable.
B) Check the order in a medication Kardex.
C) Clarify vague orders with the prescribing physician.
D) Ask the patient about the medication.
E) Identify the medication with an old medication record.

Question 24

When a nurse realizes that a medication error has occurred,the nurse should take which of the following steps? (Select all that apply.)

A) Immediately check the patient and determine if the error poses a risk to the patient's condition. If so, notify the physician immediately.
B) Try to find someone to blame for the error.
C) Notify the nursing supervisor.
D) Analyze how and why the error occurred, and how it might be avoided in the future.
E) Record in the patient's chart exactly what happened and fill out any other required (incident/medication error) reports.

Question 25

Which levels of regulation must the nurse adhere to when administering medications? (Select all that apply.)

A) City
B) County
C) Federal
D) State
E) Institutional

Question 26

A health care provider has written the following order: Mylanta 30 mL PO 30 minutes ac.How should the nurse giving this medication interpret this order? (Select all that apply.)

A) Administer by mouth 30 minutes before meals.
B) Administer by mouth 30 minutes after meals.
C) Administer by mouth with no regard to meals.
D) Administer medication, eat in 30 minutes.
E) Take 30 minutes to eat, then take medication.