Deck 36: Administering Oral, Topical, and Mucosal Medications

Question 1

The nurse is providing medications to a client who is currently receiving continuous tube feeding via gastrostomy tube.The client has a dose of phenytoin (Dilantin)due.Which is the nurse's best course of action?

A)Determine whether the client is experiencing any pain.
B)Flush the gastrostomy tube with 30 mL of water before administration.
C)Hold the medication for the day.
D)Stop the tube feeding for at least 1 hour before administration.

Answer 1

Stop the tube feeding for at least 1 hour before administration.

Question 2

A client tells the nurse, "I have been using a decongestant nasal spray for 3 months, but I still have terrible nasal congestion." Which response by the nurse is appropriate?

A)"You probably need an antibiotic to clear up the congestion."
B)"Are you sure you are administering the nasal spray correctly?"
C)"Nasal decongestant sprays can cause rebound congestion with long-term use."
D)"Who told you to use that kind of nasal spray for 3 months?"

Answer 2

"Nasal decongestant sprays can cause rebound congestion with long-term use."

Question 3

If a nurse commits a medication error, which actions should be taken? Select all that apply.

A)Have another nurse assigned to the client.
B)Check for adverse reactions to the erroneous medication.
C)Report the error to the prescriber.
D)Fill out an incident report per facility procedures.
E)Document the medication error in the medication administration record.

Answer 3

Check for adverse reactions to the erroneous medication.
Report the error to the prescriber.
Fill out an incident report per facility procedures.
Document the medication error in the medication administration record.

Question 4

The nurse educator is teaching the student how to apply a transdermal patch.Which actions taken by the student would indicate teaching has been effective? Select all that apply.

A)The student nurse removed a patch that was applied yesterday before applying the new patch.
B)The student nurse removes gloves before placing the patch.
C)The student nurse wrote the date and time on the patch before applying it.
D)The student nurse placed the new patch on the client's right shoulder because the last patch was on the left shoulder.
E)The student nurse shaves an area prior to application.

Question 5

The nurse is providing care to a client with colorectal cancer who typically takes sustained-release morphine (MS Contin), furosemide (Lasix), and metoprolol (Lopressor).The client's wife reports that because the client has bad mouth sores and has a hard time swallowing pills, she has crushed the pills and given him his medications in ice cream.Which statement by the nurse reflects the nursing priority?

A)"Mixing the medication with ice cream is a bad idea, because dairy products reduce the absorption of blood pressure medications."
B)"I'm sure it has been hard for him to swallow.Has he lost any weight?"
C)"The morphine tablets shouldn't be crushed because that releases all of the medication at once."
D)"We usually tell people with mouth sores to suck on ice or popsicles before they try to swallow pills."

Question 6

A client is using two types of inhalers-a bronchodilator and a steroid.Which statements made by the nurse accurately describe how to take these medications? Select all that apply.

A)"Use the steroid inhaler first."
B)"Wait 5 minutes between taking the inhalers."
C)"Rinse out your mouth after using the steroid inhaler."
D)"Rinse out your mouth prior to using the bronchodilator."
E)"Use the bronchodilator first."

Question 7

A nurse is preparing to administer an elixir to the client.Under which circumstances should the nurse withhold the medication and notify the prescribing health-care provider? Select all that apply.

A)The client dislikes the taste of the medicine.
B)The client cannot swallow solid food.
C)The client has sores in the mouth.
D)The client has a history of alcoholism.
E)The client is receiving disulfiram.

Question 8

When preparing to administer medication through a feeding route, the nurse takes which appropriate action?

A)Dissolves the medication in cold water
B)Dissolves and administers each medication separately
C)Flushes the tube with 30 to 60 mL apple or orange juice between administrations
D)Mixes different medications together to simplify administration

Question 9

The nurse is preparing to provide a dose of liquid oral antibiotic to a 2-year-old whose mother reports, "She doesn't like the taste of that and won't take it without a fight." To successfully provide the medication, the nurse could appropriately do which of the following? Select all that apply.

A)Offer the child a warm bottle with the medication mixed in.
B)Offer the child a frozen juice bar before medication administration.
C)Discuss the addition of a flavoring with the pharmacist.
D)Place a syringe at the tip of the child's tongue and encourage the child to suck out the medication.
E)Place the dose in a plastic medicine cup and encourage the child to "drink it like a big girl."

Question 10

A nurse correctly recognizes that administration of medication via the rectal route is appropriate for which client?

A)A small child who does not like the taste of orally administered medication
B)A client being treated for a heart attack
C)A client who is recovering from prostate cancer surgery
D)A client with severe hemorrhoids

Question 11

The nurse is caring for a client who crushes medications and administers them via a gastrostomy tube.Which medication could safely be included in the client's plan of care?

A)Sustained-release analgesics
B)Chewable antacids
C)Liquid-filled gel caps
D)Effervescent antacids

Question 12

The nurse is administering medication to a client that may stain the teeth.Which explanations made by the nurse to the client are accurate regarding administration of the medication? Select all that apply.

A)You should drink the medication as quickly as possible.
B)Drinking the medication in small gulps will help reduce staining.
C)You can drink this medication through a straw.
D)You should drink a full glass of water after taking this medication.
E)Swishing mouthwash before drinking this medication can help reduce staining.

Question 13

Which of the following locations is an appropriate place to store a metered-dose inhaler (MDI)? Select all that apply.

A)Refrigerator
B)Purse or bag that the client always carries
C)Drawer in the client's kitchen
D)The client's car
E)Drawer in the client's bedroom

Question 14

The LPN/LVN is providing medication administration instructions to the parents of a 4-year-old girl with an ear infection under the supervision of an RN.Which statement made by the parents indicates teaching has been successful? Select all that apply.

A)"It will be best if we lay her down on one side to administer the medication."
B)"I should pull her pinna down and back before I put in the eardrops."
C)"I will position the dropper so that the drop rolls down the wall of the canal, to prevent it from landing on her eardrum."
D)"It is okay to rest the dropper on her ear to better aim the medicine."
E)"She is okay to get up and play right after I administer the medicine."

Question 15

Under the supervision of a registered nurse (RN), an LVN/LPN is providing parents with instructions for administering eye drops to their young child, who has been diagnosed with pink eye.The nurse correctly tells the parents:

A)"Have your child tip his head back and look down."
B)"Brace your hand against the child's chin as you steady the dropper."
C)"Gently raise the upper lid to expose the eyeball before putting in the eye drops."
D)"Place the drop in the middle part of the space created when you pull down the lower lid."

Question 16

The nurse correctly notes to which clients that exhaling when their medication is administered is okay? Select all that apply.

A)A client taking a dry-powder inhaler (DPI)
B)A client taking a metered-dose inhaler (MDI)
C)A client taking a Nicotrol inhaler
D)A client with a rectal suppository
E)A client with a sublingual medication

Question 17

The nurse is providing meperidine (Demerol)to a client who reports postsurgical pain 8 of 10.The order is for 50 mg to be orally administered to the client in tablet form every 4 hours, but each tablet contains 100 mg.Which is the best action for the nurse to take?

A)Call the doctor to request that the order be changed to 100 mg every 8 hours.
B)Administer half of the tablet to the client and then discard the other half by flushing it down the toilet.
C)Administer half the tablet to the client and dispose of the other half in a chemical waste container with another licensed nurse as a witness, recording the narcotic drug wastage on the narcotic record and having the witness cosign.
D)Administer half the tablet to the client and save the other half for the next dose.

Question 18

The nurse is preparing to administer a medication by the sublingual route.Which should the nurse determine prior to administering the medication? Select all that apply.

A)Determine whether the client can swallow safely.
B)Determine the client's pulse and blood pressure.
C)Assess the client's ability to chew.
D)Assess the client's mouth for lesions.
E)Assess the client for gum disease.

Question 19

A nurse correctly recognizes that a liquid medication with undissolved particles is a(n):

A)Elixir and should not be shaken before use.
B)Solution and should be shaken before use.
C)Suspension and should be shaken before use.
D)Syrup and should not be shaken before use.

Question 20

A client refuses to take a medication for depression.Which action should the nurse take next?

A)Hide the medication in the client's food.
B)Insist that the client take the medication.
C)Explain the desired effect of the medication.
D)Document that the medication was not administered.

Question 21

A nurse would most appropriately administer medication via the rectal route to which of the following clients? Select all that apply.

A)A 56-year-old who has had surgery for hemorrhoids.
B)A 40-year-old with severe nausea.
C)A 60-year-old with a recent myocardial infarction and ventricular dysrhythmias.
D)A 3-year-old with a newly diagnosed seizure disorder.
E)A 30-year-old with severe vomiting who is unable to keep anything down.