Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 2

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.)

Accepted Answer

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. A,D

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

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. A,B,C

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

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?

Accepted Answer

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 6

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 8

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?

Accepted Answer

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 9

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 10

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?

Accepted Answer

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 11

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?

Accepted Answer

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 12

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.)

Accepted Answer

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 13

Which medication is an example of a controlled substance?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 15

Which is an example of a Schedule I controlled substance?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 16

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.)

Accepted Answer

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 17

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

Accepted Answer

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 18

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?

Accepted Answer

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 19

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 20

Which health care professional is licensed to prescribe controlled substances?

Accepted Answer

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

Exam 3: Legal Aspects Affecting the Administration of Medications