Deck 9: Information Basic to Administering Drugs

Question 1

Which of the following statements is true about the trade name for a medication?

A) It is the official name given to the drug.
B) The name is not capitalized.
C) It may have several different names.
D) Consumer groups advocate that drugs are prescribed only by this name.

Answer 1

It may have several different names.

Question 2

What does the classification drug category refer to?

A) The way a drug works at the molecular, tissue, or body system level
B) The way a drug acts against diseases or disorders
C) A quick reference to a drug's therapeutic actions, uses, and adverse effects
D) A reference for the nurse that provides information about the drug's indications, precautions, and nursing implications

Answer 2

The way a drug works at the molecular, tissue, or body system level

Question 3

What does the term side effect of a drug refer to?

A) Nontherapeutic effect that may be harmful to the patient/client
B) Medical interventions necessary because the drug is life threatening
C) Mandated lowering of the drug's dosage or the discontinuance of the drug
D) Consequence of drug administration

Answer 3

Consequence of drug administration

Question 4

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, pregnancy category B for a drug means:

A) No risk to the fetus in any trimester.
B) No adverse effect demonstrated in animals; no human studies available.
C) Studies with animals have shown adverse reaction; no human studies are available.
D) Definite fetal risk exists; may be given despite risk to the fetus if needed for a life-threatening condition.

Question 5

What does the heading Indications for a drug refer to?

A) Explains how the drug works
B) Gives the reasons for using the drug
C) Describes conditions in which a drug should be given with caution
D) Provides information that is crucial to protect against medication error

Question 6

Which statement is true about the heading Interactions and Incompatibilities of a drug?

A) It is not important to consider drug herbal interactions.
B) Chemical incompatibility may not give a visible sign of a precipitation.
C) Physical incompatibility usually produces a visible sign of a color change.
D) Incompatibilities are important when medications are combined for an injection in IV administration.

Question 7

What is the major organ of excretion for a drug?

A) Kidney
B) Large intestine
C) Liver
D) Stomach

Question 8

Select the pharmacokinetic term that refers to the chemical change of a drug into a form that can be excreted.

A) Absorption
B) Distribution
C) Biotransformation
D) Excretion

Question 9

What does the term half-life of a drug refer to?

A) Its tolerance level when the drug is used frequently
B) Its biotransformation as it accumulates in the body
C) Its duration of action, indicating how much drug is effective at different times as the percent of concentration decreases over time
D) Its concentration in the patient/client's blood or serum through the use of lab tests to measure the therapeutic level

Question 10

Select a statement that is consistent with the concept of criminal law.

A) It is concerned with the legal rights of private persons.
B) An individual can sue for damages in the form of money.
C) A claim of harm or injury to an individual can be used because the nurse did not meet the required standard.
D) It includes offenses against the general public that are detrimental to society as a whole and are prosecuted by government authorities.

Question 11

A nurse was sued for malpractice. Which four elements must be present for the case to be considered malpractice? Select all that apply.

A) A claim that an error, not injury, occurred for several days
B) A claim that the nurse owed the patient/client a special care of duty
C) A claim that the nurse failed to meet the required standard
D) A claim that harm or injury resulted because the nurse did not meet the required standard
E) A claim of damages for which compensation is sought

Question 12

The nurse carries out a medication order that was incorrectly written by the healthcare provider and subsequently filled by the pharmacist. Who is liable for administering the incorrect dose?

A) Healthcare agency
B) Healthcare provider
C) Nurse
D) Pharmacist

Question 13

Which situation illustrates the ethical principle of autonomy being applied in drug administration?

A) The patient/client has the right to refuse medication.
B) In drug research, the patient/client has a right to informed consent.
C) A nurse anticipates the untoward effects of drugs that may occur and acts to minimize them.
D) The patient/client's drug therapy and responses are discussed only with people who have the right to know.

Question 14

Which situation illustrates the ethical principle of justice being applied to drug administration?

A) The nurse will be right back with the patient/client's pain medication.
B) The nurse checks the chart to see when the pain medication was last administered to the patient/client and lets the patient/client know the information.
C) The nurse decides it is best for the patient/client to receive pain medication and overrides the patient/client's wishes not to take the pain medication.
D) The patient/client receives the right dose of the correct pain medication by the right route at the right time.

Question 15

An example of a nontherapeutic or adverse reaction to an antihypertensive drug would be:

A) Lower systolic blood pressure
B) Drowsiness
C) Decreased sense of anxiety
D) Tachycardia

Question 16

On admission, a patient tells a nurse that he has had an anaphylactic reaction to penicillin. The nurse documents that penicillin:

A) Should only be given with another drug.
B) Can be safely administered 90 days after the reaction.
C) Can be given with caution.
D) Is contraindicated.

Question 17

Select the medication order that is considered complete.

A) 3/30/08: Fran Jones Room 212 Keflex (cephalexin) 500 mg every 6 hours for 7 days Dr. James Brown
B) 3/30/08: Fran Jones Room 212 Digoxin (Lanoxin) 0.5 mg po every day Dr. James Brown
C) 3/30/08: Fran Jones Room 212 Demerol (meperidine) 50 mg IM for pain Dr. James Brown
D) 3/30/08: Fran Jones Room 212 morphine sulfate 4 IV stat Dr. James Brown

Question 18

Choose the best nursing action for administering liquid medications.

A) When measuring a liquid medication from a stock solution, pour a little excess and then return any unused amount to the stock bottle.
B) When a liquid medication requires dilution, add sufficient sterile water equal to the total amount of solution ordered.
C) Before the patient/client has to take a liquid antacid, have him or her drink 5 to 10 mL of water to help in swallowing the thick antacid.
D) Pour liquid medications at eye level using a medicine cup. It is important to measure at the level of the center of the meniscus.

Question 19

Select the best nursing action when administering irritating oral drugs.

A) Withhold the medication and notify the healthcare provider.
B) Break the oral medication in half and have the patient/client take two halves separately.
C) Obtain the liquid form of the medication and add 5 to 10 mL of water to the cup.
D) Administer the medication with a meal or snack.

Question 20

Explain the meaning of a synergistic effect when two drugs are given.

A) The first drug offsets the effectiveness of the second drug.
B) The second drug increases the intensity of the first drug.
C) The first drug and second drug action are not affected.
D) Neither the first drug nor second drug work at all.

Question 21

A patient/client who took an opioid analgesic for pain experienced the following side effects. Which effect would be considered adverse?

A) Drowsiness
B) Constipation
C) Euphoria
D) Urinary retention

Question 22

The patient/client took one 500-mg tablet of Glucophage (metformin) daily. Select the statement that describes the drug's classification.

A) It is an oral antidiabetic agent.
B) It inhibits hepatic glucose production.
C) It is excreted unchanged by the kidneys.
D) It increases tissue sensitivity to insulin.

Question 23

In infants, body systems are different relative to drug absorption; distribution, metabolism, and elimination. Identify an expected change for absorption.

A) Decreased stomach acidity
B) Increased blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract
C) Increased gastrointestinal motility
D) Smaller body surface area

Question 24

A patent/client is given 500 mg of an oral antibiotic at 12 noon. The physician prescribes the drug, every 6 hours, based on the drug's half-life of 30 minutes. What percent of the drug would be available in the patient/client's bloodstream at 2:00 pm?

A) 50%
B) 25%
C) 12.5%
D) 6.25%

Question 25

A regional medical center recently experienced a large number of lawsuits regarding negligence due to medication errors. Although preventable, which are the common actions associated with the most frequent medication administration errors? Select all that apply.

A) The wrong patient/client is given the medication.
B) The incorrect dose is administered.
C) The drug is given on the wrong schedule, resulting in ineffectiveness.
D) The wrong drug is given.
E) The wrong route of administration is used.
F) The drug is not monitored and complications result.

Question 26

Which of the following statements is true about the generic name for a medication?

A) Manufacturers of generic drugs are required to use the same fillers and dyes for consistency.
B) Generic drugs, because they are manufactured by different companies, are not exactly the same.
C) The active ingredient(s) in different generic drug preparations is (are) different depending on the manufacturer.
D) Generic drugs tend to be more expensive because of the variety of preparations for each medication.

Question 27

Age-related changes affect the pharmacokinetics of medications. Identify an example of bodily changes occurring with an older adult.

A) Decreased stomach acidity
B) Increased body surface area
C) Increased body fat
D) Increased liver function

Question 28

The most common causes of liability due to a nursing error are related to mistakes that occurred when:

A) documenting patient care
B) transferring the patient
C) administering medications
D) changing surgical dressings.

Question 29

A nurse tells a patient/client "I'll be right back." The nurse fails to return for two hours. This is a violation of the ethical principle of:

A) Autonomy
B) Confidentiality
C) Justice
D) Fidelity

Question 30

A drug's effectiveness is influenced by its metabolism and biotransformation. Some drugs are less effective because of the "Patient-pass" effect. Which route of drug administration is influenced by this effect?

A) Oral
B) Subcutaneous
C) Intramuscular
D) Intravenous