1
Week 1 Advanced Pharmacology Quiz
• Question 1
1 out of 1 points
A nurse is caring for a postsurgical patient who has small tortuous veins and had a
difficult IV insertion. The patient is now receiving IV medications on a regular basis.
What is the best nursing intervention to minimize the adverse effects of this drug
therapy?
Response Because the patient has small tortuous veins and had a
Feedback: difficult IV insertion, the patient is at high risk for infiltration
of the IV site. Recording baseline vital signs or blood sugar
level is an important nursing action, but not specific to IV
administration of any drug. The patient is not known to take
anticoagulants; so unless indicated, the nurse is not required
to monitor the patient's bleeding time.
• Question 2
1 out of 1 points
A patient has been prescribed 1 mg lorazepam (Ativan) sublingual prior to the
scheduled insertion of a peripherally inserted central (PIC) line. How should the
nurse direct the patient when administering this medication?
Response Sublingual tablets are placed under the tongue where they
Feedback: dissolve and are absorbed into the bloodstream. Swallowing
the pill may render it less effective, but is not unsafe. It is not
recommended to chew and hold sublingual medications nor
to hold them in the mouth for length of time.
• Question 3
1 out of 1 points
, 2
A nurse is caring for a patient who has recently moved from Vermont to south
Florida. The patient has been on the same antihypertensive drug for 6 years and has
had stable blood pressures and no adverse effects. Since her move, however, she
reports “dizzy spells and weakness” and feels that the drug is no longer effective. The
nurse suspects that the change in the effectiveness of the drug is related to
Response Antihypertensive drugs work to decrease blood pressure.
Feedback: When a patient goes to a climate that is much warmer than
usual, blood vessels dilate and the blood pressure decreases.
If a patient is taking an antihypertensive drug and enters a
warmer climate, there is a chance that the patient's blood
pressure will drop too low, resulting in dizziness and a feeling
of weakness. After several years on an antihypertensive drug,
the effects of that drug are known; therefore, the placebo
effect should not be an issue. Most antihypertensives are
metabolized and excreted and do not accumulate in the body.
The patient has not given the nurse any information that
would indicate that she has not been compliant with her drug
regimen due to the move.
• Question 4
1 out of 1 points
An elderly postsurgical patient has developed postoperative pneumonia in the days
following abdominal surgery and is being treated with a number of medications.
Which of the following medications that the nurse will administer has the slowest
absorption?
Response Absorption of drugs is dependent primarily on the route of
Feedback: administration. IV, IM, and sublingual administration results
in faster absorption than drugs that are given orally.
• Question 5
1 out of 1 points
, 3
A 56-year-old female patient has been admitted to the hospital with chronic muscle
spasms and has been prescribed a new medication to treat the spasms. She has a
poorly documented allergy to eggs, synthetic clothes, and perfumes. What is the
priority action of the nurse to ensure that prescribed medication does not
experience an allergic reaction?
Response The nurse should post an allergies notice on the front of the
Feedback: chart and document the allergies in the appropriate area of
the patient's record; this will allow continuous access of the
dietary staff and the other members of the health care team
to the information and serve to limit errors. The prescriber
would always ask the patient about her allergies before
prescribing a new medication. The patient is not having an
allergic reaction, so treating her for an allergic reaction is
unnecessary. If the allergies are documented in the
appropriate area of the patient's record, the dietary staff will
be aware that the patient should not be served eggs.
• Question 6
1 out of 1 points
An unconscious patient has been brought to the hospital, and the physician has
prescribed a life-saving drug to be administered parenterally. Which of the following
methods would be the most appropriate for the nurse to use when administering the
medication?
Response Intravenous infusion is the preferred method for use in
Feedback: emergency situations when rapid drug effects are desired.
Absorption is considered to be instantaneous, as the drug is
placed directly into the bloodstream. The subcutaneous and
intramuscular routes could be used but would not ensure
rapid drug effects. Intrathecal administration is usually done
by a physician or a specially trained health care provider.
• Question 7
1 out of 1 points
Week 1 Advanced Pharmacology Quiz
• Question 1
1 out of 1 points
A nurse is caring for a postsurgical patient who has small tortuous veins and had a
difficult IV insertion. The patient is now receiving IV medications on a regular basis.
What is the best nursing intervention to minimize the adverse effects of this drug
therapy?
Response Because the patient has small tortuous veins and had a
Feedback: difficult IV insertion, the patient is at high risk for infiltration
of the IV site. Recording baseline vital signs or blood sugar
level is an important nursing action, but not specific to IV
administration of any drug. The patient is not known to take
anticoagulants; so unless indicated, the nurse is not required
to monitor the patient's bleeding time.
• Question 2
1 out of 1 points
A patient has been prescribed 1 mg lorazepam (Ativan) sublingual prior to the
scheduled insertion of a peripherally inserted central (PIC) line. How should the
nurse direct the patient when administering this medication?
Response Sublingual tablets are placed under the tongue where they
Feedback: dissolve and are absorbed into the bloodstream. Swallowing
the pill may render it less effective, but is not unsafe. It is not
recommended to chew and hold sublingual medications nor
to hold them in the mouth for length of time.
• Question 3
1 out of 1 points
, 2
A nurse is caring for a patient who has recently moved from Vermont to south
Florida. The patient has been on the same antihypertensive drug for 6 years and has
had stable blood pressures and no adverse effects. Since her move, however, she
reports “dizzy spells and weakness” and feels that the drug is no longer effective. The
nurse suspects that the change in the effectiveness of the drug is related to
Response Antihypertensive drugs work to decrease blood pressure.
Feedback: When a patient goes to a climate that is much warmer than
usual, blood vessels dilate and the blood pressure decreases.
If a patient is taking an antihypertensive drug and enters a
warmer climate, there is a chance that the patient's blood
pressure will drop too low, resulting in dizziness and a feeling
of weakness. After several years on an antihypertensive drug,
the effects of that drug are known; therefore, the placebo
effect should not be an issue. Most antihypertensives are
metabolized and excreted and do not accumulate in the body.
The patient has not given the nurse any information that
would indicate that she has not been compliant with her drug
regimen due to the move.
• Question 4
1 out of 1 points
An elderly postsurgical patient has developed postoperative pneumonia in the days
following abdominal surgery and is being treated with a number of medications.
Which of the following medications that the nurse will administer has the slowest
absorption?
Response Absorption of drugs is dependent primarily on the route of
Feedback: administration. IV, IM, and sublingual administration results
in faster absorption than drugs that are given orally.
• Question 5
1 out of 1 points
, 3
A 56-year-old female patient has been admitted to the hospital with chronic muscle
spasms and has been prescribed a new medication to treat the spasms. She has a
poorly documented allergy to eggs, synthetic clothes, and perfumes. What is the
priority action of the nurse to ensure that prescribed medication does not
experience an allergic reaction?
Response The nurse should post an allergies notice on the front of the
Feedback: chart and document the allergies in the appropriate area of
the patient's record; this will allow continuous access of the
dietary staff and the other members of the health care team
to the information and serve to limit errors. The prescriber
would always ask the patient about her allergies before
prescribing a new medication. The patient is not having an
allergic reaction, so treating her for an allergic reaction is
unnecessary. If the allergies are documented in the
appropriate area of the patient's record, the dietary staff will
be aware that the patient should not be served eggs.
• Question 6
1 out of 1 points
An unconscious patient has been brought to the hospital, and the physician has
prescribed a life-saving drug to be administered parenterally. Which of the following
methods would be the most appropriate for the nurse to use when administering the
medication?
Response Intravenous infusion is the preferred method for use in
Feedback: emergency situations when rapid drug effects are desired.
Absorption is considered to be instantaneous, as the drug is
placed directly into the bloodstream. The subcutaneous and
intramuscular routes could be used but would not ensure
rapid drug effects. Intrathecal administration is usually done
by a physician or a specially trained health care provider.
• Question 7
1 out of 1 points
