Deck 6: The Nursing Process in Pharmacology

Question 1

The physician has prescribed a nitroglycerine (Nitrodur) patch for the patient. What is the best outcome for this patient as it relates to use of the medication?

A) Patient will be able to identify the expiration date of the medication prior to discharge.
B) Patient will verbalize three side effects of the medication prior to discharge.
C) Patient will state the reason for receiving the medication prior to discharge.
D) Patient will demonstrate correct application of the patch prior to discharge.

Answer 1

Patient will demonstrate correct application of the patch prior to discharge.

Question 2

The nurse is aware that it is most important to be accurate in which portion of the nursing process?

A) Evaluation
B) Assessment
C) Diagnosis
D) Planning

Answer 2

Assessment

Question 3

The nurse has several educational pamphlets for the patient about medications the patient is receiving. Prior to giving the patient these pamphlets, what is a primary assessment for the nurse?

A) Assess the patient's readiness to learn new information.
B) Assess the patient's religious attitudes toward medicine.
C) Assess the patient's reading level.
D) Assess the patient's cultural bias toward taking medicine.

Answer 3

Assess the patient's reading level.

Question 4

Which list correctly identifies and orders the primary steps of the nursing process?

A) Establish nursing diagnosis, assessment, intervene, collaborate, evaluation
B) Establish goals, assessment, intervention, planning, communication
C) Assessment, establish nursing diagnosis, planning, interventions, evaluation
D) Assessment, planning, establish objectives, communication, evaluation

Question 5

Which statement about the nursing process is accurate?

A) Generally, goals are more measurable than outcomes.
B) Goals involve very specific criteria that evaluate interventions.
C) Obtaining the outcomes is essential for goal attainment.
D) After selecting the nursing diagnosis, interventions are completed.

Question 6

A patient with hypertension is receiving medication to lower his blood pressure. Which nursing action demonstrates the evaluation process related to medication administration?

A) Asking the patient whether he is compliant in taking his medications
B) Determining that goals were not met 3 days following medication administration
C) Administration of IV antihypertensive agents
D) Determination of the patient's baseline blood pressure

Question 7

The Joint Commission documented that patient education was deficient on several medical-surgical units of a local hospital. A nursing committee was formed to address this problem and focused on what likely nursing intervention?

A) Providing educational pamphlets about medications to the patients.
B) Asking the physicians to provide medication education to the patients.
C) Discussing medications each time they are administered to patients.
D) Requesting more frequent pharmacy consults for the patients.

Question 8

What is the most significant role for nurses as defined by state nurse practice acts and by regulating bodies such as The Joint Commission?

A) Planning care
B) Teaching
C) Assessment
D) Evaluating care

Question 9

The nurse is managing care for several patients at a diabetic treatment center. What is the primary intervention for the nurse?

A) To administer the correct medicine to the correct patient at the correct dose and the correct time via the correct route
B) To return the patient to an optimum level of wellness while limiting adverse effects related to the patient's medical diagnosis
C) To include any cultural or ethnic preferences in the administration of the medication
D) To answer any questions the patient may have about the medicine, or any possible side effect of the medication

Question 10

The patient is receiving an oral antibiotic as treatment for cellulitis of the lower extremity. The patient's outcome is "Patient will state a key point about antibiotic treatment for cellulitis." Which statement would the nurse evaluate as best indicating this outcome has been met?

A) "If the pain gets too bad, I can take my prescribed pain medication."
B) "If the swelling continues, I can apply an ice pack."
C) "I need to take all the pills even if my leg looks better."
D) "I must keep my leg elevated until the swelling goes down."

Question 11

The nurse is assessing a newly admitted patient's current medications. What does the best objective data include?

A) The patient's wife tells the nurse what medications the patient has been receiving.
B) The nurse checks the prescription bottles the patient has brought to the hospital.
C) The nurse asks the physician what medications the patient was currently taking.
D) The patient lists the medications that have been prescribed.

Question 12

The nurse is administering medications to an older adult. Which laboratory tests are most important for the nurse to assess prior to the administration of medication?

A) Complete blood count (CBC) and electrolytes
B) Kidney and liver function tests
C) Arterial blood gases (ABGs) and basic metabolic panel
D) Lipid panel and thyroid function tests

Question 13

The nurse is preparing for medication administration to a group of patients. What is the best overall outcome for the patients?

A) Patients will take the medications after receiving medication instruction.
B) Patients will receive the best therapeutic outcome from the medications.
C) Patients will state the reason they are receiving the medications.
D) Patients will experience minimal side effects after taking the medications.

Question 14

The patient is receiving albuterol (Proventil) for treatment of bronchospasm related to asthma. What is the primary nursing intervention as it relates to this medication?

A) Monitor the patient for relief of bronchospasms.
B) Monitor the patient for nausea and headache.
C) Monitor the patient's serum drug levels.
D) Provide the patient with age-appropriate education about albuterol (Proventil).

Question 15

The nurse assesses the patient with diabetes mellitus prior to administering medications. Which questions are important to ask the patient?

A) "Are you allergic to any medications?"
B) "Are you taking any herbal or over-the-counter medications?"
C) "How difficult is it for you to maintain your ideal body weight?"
D) "Will you please tell me about the kind of diet you follow?"
E) "What other medications are you currently taking?"

Question 16

Place these nursing activities in the correct order of the nursing process.

A) The nurse analyzes the data collected.
B) The nurse documents the time and route of an administered medication.
C) The nurse weighs the patient.
D) The nurse writes an individualized nursing intervention.
E) The nurse changes a nursing intervention that is not working.

Question 17

The physician has prescribed quetiapine (Seroquel) for the patient with chronic auditory hallucinations. The patient has stopped taking the medication. The nurse incorrectly uses the diagnosis of "noncompliance." In which situation would this diagnosis be appropriate?

A) The patient reported a physical change as the reason for stopping the medication.
B) The patient made an informed decision not to take the medication.
C) The patient was unsure about how to order a refill for the prescription.
D) The patient did not understand why the medication was prescribed.

Question 18

The nurse uses a newly admitted patient's armband barcode to identify the patient prior to administering medications. The nurse should use ______ other means of identifying this patient.

Question 19

The nurse follows the nursing process when conducting medication education about insulin. The step of evaluation is best demonstrated by which question?

A) "Is your abdomen the best place to inject insulin?"
B) "What questions do you have about insulin?"
C) "Can you recognize when you are experiencing hypoglycemia?"
D) "Can you tell me four points you remember about how to take your insulin?"

Question 20

Which nursing intervention would take priority following administration of a new medication?

A) Monitoring lab values
B) Monitoring the patient's respiratory status
C) Prescribing additional medications if side effects occur
D) Measuring patient weight

Question 21

A patient returns to the clinic for follow-up after taking a newly prescribed medication for a month. The nurse recognizes medication teaching was successful when the patient makes which statement?

A) "I've been taking my medication on an empty stomach like the prescription label said to."
B) "I take my medication first thing in the morning, just like you said."
C) "I have been able to decrease my medication to every other day and that saves me some money."
D) "I switched all my medications to one pharmacy like you suggested."
E) "Did you say I need to take this medication with water or milk?"

Question 22

The nurse who is writing a risk nursing diagnosis will write a ______ part statement.
Standard Text: Record your answer rounding to the nearest whole number.

Question 23

When teaching the patient about a new medication, the nurse should include which information?

A) Adverse effects that can be expected
B) Which adverse effect to report to the health care provider
C) The drug's therapeutic action
D) Chemical composition of the drug
E) Name of the drug manufacturer

Question 24

Which information is essential for the nurse to collect when reviewing a patient's medication list?

A) Drug names
B) Drug manufacturer
C) Dosage being taken
D) Frequency of administration
E) When last refill was obtained

Question 25

Which patient outcome statements are correctly formatted?

A) The patient will understand the effects of the medication administered prior to discharge.
B) The nurse will administer all medications with ten minutes of their scheduled time.
C) The patient will identify two adverse effects of enoxaprarin (Lovenox) prior to self-administering the drug.
D) The patient will verbalize the storage requirements for NPH insulin prior to discharge.
E) The physician will discuss the desired effects of discharge medications with the patient the evening before discharge.

Question 26

Place these methods of communicating with a non-English speaking patient in order of their desirability and usefulness.

A) Adult family member interprets
B) Health care agency interpreter is present
C) The nurse uses drawings and body language to communicate
D) Child relative interprets
E) No interpretation is attempted

Question 27

Which concepts should the nurse use when formulating a nursing diagnosis?

A) Base the nursing diagnosis on the medical diagnosis
B) Focus on what the nurse needs to help the patient return to health
C) Include the patient in the identification of needs
D) Consider the patient's response to the current health problem
E) Be certain the diagnosis is measureable

Question 28

Which assessment identifies the collection of objective data?

A) The patient rates her pain a 5 on a 0-10 pain scale.
B) The patient states she is anxious.
C) The patient has a wound measured at 5 centimeters in length.
D) The patient informs the nurse that she weighs 150 pounds.

Question 29

During evaluation, the nurse, patient, and physician determine that the goals of antibiotic therapy have not been met. What actions are indicated?

A) Review the dosage of the medication
B) Consider checking serum drug levels
C) Discard the idea that the infection is treatable
D) Consider prolonging therapy
E) Consider using a different antibiotic

Question 30

A nurse is preparing care for a newly admitted patient with diabetes. Which information would be critical for the nurse to assess?

A) Medical history
B) Current lab results
C) Medication allergies
D) Use of dietary supplements
E) Number of previous hospitalizations