Chapter 08: Injectable Medications
Mulholland: The Nurse, The Math, The Meds
ESSAY
1. What is the usual dose in mL for a skin test?
ANS:
0.1 mL
2. A skin test is administered with which size syringe?
ANS:
1 mL tuberculin syringe
3. Would a small gauge or a large gauge needle be used for a skin test?
ANS:
Small
4. What is the name and abbreviation for the route used for skin test injections?
ANS:
I.D.
5. What is the descriptor for medications that, when combined in one syringe or solution,
interact and cause undesired changes in composition or effect (such as crystallization)?
ANS:
incompatibility
6. Name the three approved sites for intramuscular injections.
ANS:
deltoid, vastus lateralis, and ventrogluteal
7. What is the first step a nurse must take after reading an order for a parenteral injection mix?
ANS:
Check for compatibility.
8. What is the name of the kind of reference a nurse must consult before mixing two or more
medications in one syringe or IV solution?
ANS:
A current compatibility reference chart (or check with the pharmacist)
9. What is the reason for mixing two or more medications in one syringe for an intramuscular
injection?
, ANS:
To avoid unnecessary trauma and discomfort from multiple injections.
10. Which size zone should be avoided around umbilicus when giving abdominal subcutaneous
injections?
ANS:
A 2-inch diameter around umbilicus is to be avoided.
11. Does the nurse have to measure the dose in a prefilled syringe? If so, why; if not, why not?
ANS:
Yes. The dose must be measured. The dose needed may be less than the amount in the
prefilled syringe. There is often a little air and extra medication in the prefilled syringe.
12. An error of dosage with one decimal place, such as preparing 1 mL instead of 0.1 mL results
in how much of an error?
ANS:
The error is 10 times more or less than ordered dose. This can cause a fatal adverse drug event
(ADE).
13. What is the importance of writing a leading 0 in front of a decimal number less than one?
ANS:
A leading zero (e.g., 0.2) alerts the nurse that a decimal is to follow. Decimals are often not
well-visualized.
14. What is the value of estimating medication doses before calculation and preparation?
ANS:
Estimating doses is one very important way to catch a major math calculation error.
15. Can the nurse legally administer a medication after the expiration date?
ANS:
No, the medication must be discarded. It may no longer be effective and could have
decomposed and have bacterial contamination.
16. Which site is not recommended for intramuscular injections? Why?
ANS:
The dorsogluteal, which is the upper outer quadrant of the buttock, is no longer recommended.
The location of the sciatic nerve varies from patient to patient. An injection into the sciatic
nerve can cause permanent disability.
17. What are the two most common diluents for injectable medications?
ANS:
SW for injection and sterile NS for injection are the two most common diluents for injectable
medications.
Mulholland: The Nurse, The Math, The Meds
ESSAY
1. What is the usual dose in mL for a skin test?
ANS:
0.1 mL
2. A skin test is administered with which size syringe?
ANS:
1 mL tuberculin syringe
3. Would a small gauge or a large gauge needle be used for a skin test?
ANS:
Small
4. What is the name and abbreviation for the route used for skin test injections?
ANS:
I.D.
5. What is the descriptor for medications that, when combined in one syringe or solution,
interact and cause undesired changes in composition or effect (such as crystallization)?
ANS:
incompatibility
6. Name the three approved sites for intramuscular injections.
ANS:
deltoid, vastus lateralis, and ventrogluteal
7. What is the first step a nurse must take after reading an order for a parenteral injection mix?
ANS:
Check for compatibility.
8. What is the name of the kind of reference a nurse must consult before mixing two or more
medications in one syringe or IV solution?
ANS:
A current compatibility reference chart (or check with the pharmacist)
9. What is the reason for mixing two or more medications in one syringe for an intramuscular
injection?
, ANS:
To avoid unnecessary trauma and discomfort from multiple injections.
10. Which size zone should be avoided around umbilicus when giving abdominal subcutaneous
injections?
ANS:
A 2-inch diameter around umbilicus is to be avoided.
11. Does the nurse have to measure the dose in a prefilled syringe? If so, why; if not, why not?
ANS:
Yes. The dose must be measured. The dose needed may be less than the amount in the
prefilled syringe. There is often a little air and extra medication in the prefilled syringe.
12. An error of dosage with one decimal place, such as preparing 1 mL instead of 0.1 mL results
in how much of an error?
ANS:
The error is 10 times more or less than ordered dose. This can cause a fatal adverse drug event
(ADE).
13. What is the importance of writing a leading 0 in front of a decimal number less than one?
ANS:
A leading zero (e.g., 0.2) alerts the nurse that a decimal is to follow. Decimals are often not
well-visualized.
14. What is the value of estimating medication doses before calculation and preparation?
ANS:
Estimating doses is one very important way to catch a major math calculation error.
15. Can the nurse legally administer a medication after the expiration date?
ANS:
No, the medication must be discarded. It may no longer be effective and could have
decomposed and have bacterial contamination.
16. Which site is not recommended for intramuscular injections? Why?
ANS:
The dorsogluteal, which is the upper outer quadrant of the buttock, is no longer recommended.
The location of the sciatic nerve varies from patient to patient. An injection into the sciatic
nerve can cause permanent disability.
17. What are the two most common diluents for injectable medications?
ANS:
SW for injection and sterile NS for injection are the two most common diluents for injectable
medications.
