Question 1

The nurse administers 100 mg of a medication at 0800.The medication's biological half-life is 4 hours.A serum medication level is drawn at 1600.The nurse should anticipate ___________ mg will be left in the body at 1600?

Accepted Answer

The medication's half-life is 4 hours, so by 1600 (8 hours later), the medication will have gone through two half-lives: 100 mg to 50 mg (first half-life) and then 50 mg to 25 mg (second half-life).

Question 2

A patient reports a pain level of 7 out of 10 and receives 10 mg of morphine intravenously.The nurse knows that intravenous morphine has an onset of 1 to 2 minutes,a peak of 20 minutes,and a duration of 4 to 5 hours.The patient asks when he will start to feel some pain relief.The nurse should respond that relief should begin in _____________.

Accepted Answer

The onset of intravenous morphine is 1 to 2 minutes, so the patient should start to feel pain relief within that time frame.

Question 3

The patient reports taking an opioid medication in large dosages for the past several years.While in the hospital,the patient is not prescribed the medication and develops tachycardia,hypertension,sweating,and tremors.He becomes confused and experiences visual hallucinations.The nurse recognizes these signs as indicative of _____________.

Accepted Answer

The symptoms described are indicative of opioid withdrawal, which is a sign of physical dependence.

Question 4

The nurse reviews a medication administration record for an anticoagulant that is prescribed at 0900 daily.The medication record indicates that the medication was given at the following times over the past 4 days.Which times follow the "right time" of medication administration? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

The answer of The nurse reviews a medication administration record...

Question 5

The prescriber orders an intravenous (IV)antibiotic every 8 hours.The nurse administers the medication at 0900.The medication's onset of action is 5 minutes,peak action is 30 minutes,and duration is 6 to 24 hours.A prescription for peak and trough levels is written.The nurse will have the peak level drawn at _________.

Accepted Answer

The peak level should be drawn at the time when the medication reaches its highest concentration in the bloodstream, which is 30 minutes after administration, so at 0930.

Question 6

A medication interaction in which the combined effect of medications is greater than the sum of the effects of each individual agent acting independently is known as a _____________.

Accepted Answer

A synergistic effect occurs when the combined effect of two medications is greater than the sum of their individual effects.

Question 7

The nurse calculates that the proper dosage of a medication is 2 tsp.The nurse prepares _______ mL to administer to the patient.

Accepted Answer

1 teaspoon is equivalent to 5 mL, so 2 teaspoons would be 10 mL.

Question 8

______________ are predictable and often unavoidable secondary effects of a medication produced at a usual therapeutic medication dose.

Accepted Answer

Side effects are predictable and often unavoidable secondary effects of a medication that occur at a usual therapeutic dose.

Question 9

The dose prescribed for a patient is 75 mg intramuscularly (IM).The medication is available in a 50-mg/mL solution.The nurse prepares ________________ mL.

Accepted Answer

To administer a 75 mg dose using a 50 mg/mL solution, the nurse needs to calculate the volume: 75 mg ÷ 50 mg/mL = 1.5 mL.

Question 10

When do most medication errors occur? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

Medication errors are most likely to occur during transitions of care, such as hospital admission, transfer between units, discharge home, or discharge to another facility, due to changes in medication orders and communication challenges.

Question 11

The nurse recognizes that patients with which conditions will have a reduction in the distribution of medications? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

The answer of The nurse recognizes that patients with which...

Question 12

A patient is prescribed diltiazem tablets,which have an onset of 30 minutes,a peak of 2 to 3 hours,and a duration of 6 to 8 hours.The nurse anticipates that the medication will be prescribed ____________ times per day.

Accepted Answer

Diltiazem has a duration of 6 to 8 hours, so to maintain therapeutic levels, it should be administered every 6 to 8 hours, which equates to 3 to 4 times per day.

Question 13

Medication errors include which of the following? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

Medication errors include administration of the wrong medication, administration via the wrong route, inaccurate prescribing, and failing to administer a medication.

Question 14

The nurse administers 650 mg of acetaminophen orally to a patient with a pain level of 4 out of 10.The nurse is aware that the onset of action is 30 minutes to 1 hour,the peak action is 1 to 3 hours,and the duration of action is 3 to 8 hours.After _____,the nurse should assess the patient to determine the maximum effectiveness of the medication.

Accepted Answer

The nurse should assess the patient after 1 to 3 hours to determine the maximum effectiveness of the medication, as this is the peak action time for acetaminophen.

Question 15

A patient with a history of renal failure and liver disease has been receiving morphine sulphate every 4 hours for the past 2 weeks.The nurse finds the patient lethargic with a respiratory rate of 6 breaths per minute.The health care provider prescribes naloxone.The nurse anticipates which effects when naloxone is given? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

Naloxone is an opioid antagonist that can reverse the effects of opioids like morphine. It can increase alertness, cause the patient to feel pain as the opioid effect is reversed, and increase the respiratory rate by reversing respiratory depression.

Question 16

The intended or desired physiological response to a medication is known as its ____________.

Accepted Answer

The therapeutic effect is the intended or desired physiological response to a medication.

Question 17

The hospital has implemented a computerized physician order entry system (CPOE)to eliminate the need for written prescriptions.The benefits of this system include which of the following? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

The answer of The hospital has implemented a computerized physician...

Question 18

The nurse administers a medication to the wrong patient but the patient suffers no harm from the medication error.What actions should the nurse take? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

When a medication error occurs,the nurse assesses the patient and notifies the prescriber as soon as possible.When the patient is stable,the nurse notifies the appropriate person in the institution (e.g. ,manager and supervisor).The nurse is responsible for preparing a written incident report usually within 24 hours of the incident.To legally protect the nurse and the institution,the incident report is not referred to in the nurses' notes.All medication errors,including those that do not cause obvious or immediate harm,should be reported.

Question 19

The patient is to receive 200 mg of a medication.There are 100-mg scored tablets available.The nurse prepares _________ tablets.

Accepted Answer

The patient needs 200 mg, and each tablet is 100 mg, so the nurse needs 2 tablets to make up the 200 mg dose.

Quiz 20: Safe Medication Preparation