PTCB Patient Safety & Quality Assurance
Exam Questions and Answers
1. What are High Alert/Risk Medications?
ANS Are medications that are more likely to cause harm to a patient if used incorrectly or
in error.
2. What is the "Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP)"?
ANS it is the primary resource for identifying high-alert medications, like warfarin
3. What are Look-Alike/Sound-Alike (LASA) Medications? What
method does the pharmacy use to help differentiate between similar
medications?
ANS Are similar medications that cause a serious safety concern and a common cause of
medication errors. The "Tall man lettering" method is used on many drug products and implemented
in many pharmacy systems to help pharmacy personnel differentiate two very similar-looking
medication names.\
4. What is the Correct Order to Correct Patients
ANS The five "rights" of medication administration
is
right drug,
right dose,
right time,
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, right route,
and
right patient to prevent a medication error from occurring.
5. The 3 simple verification steps that will help get the correct order
to the correct patient every time and reduce the risk of a dispensing
error
ANS Verify name and date of birth
Verify street address
Briefly mention what you have for the patient to pick up
6. What is "Tall Man Lettering" used for?
ANS is used to help differentiate portions of sound-alike/look-alike drug names that
are different so as to draw one's eye to a potential source of error. (e.g., hydrALAzine vs.
hydrOXYzine).
7. What does inventory management include?
ANS Inventory management may include ordering
and receiving products, identifying specific storage requirements, and removing expired or recalled
medications
8. During data entry or calculations, do you use Trailing Zeros? What
about Leading Zeros? If so when do you use it?
ANS During data entry or calculations
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Exam Questions and Answers
1. What are High Alert/Risk Medications?
ANS Are medications that are more likely to cause harm to a patient if used incorrectly or
in error.
2. What is the "Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP)"?
ANS it is the primary resource for identifying high-alert medications, like warfarin
3. What are Look-Alike/Sound-Alike (LASA) Medications? What
method does the pharmacy use to help differentiate between similar
medications?
ANS Are similar medications that cause a serious safety concern and a common cause of
medication errors. The "Tall man lettering" method is used on many drug products and implemented
in many pharmacy systems to help pharmacy personnel differentiate two very similar-looking
medication names.\
4. What is the Correct Order to Correct Patients
ANS The five "rights" of medication administration
is
right drug,
right dose,
right time,
1/
11
, right route,
and
right patient to prevent a medication error from occurring.
5. The 3 simple verification steps that will help get the correct order
to the correct patient every time and reduce the risk of a dispensing
error
ANS Verify name and date of birth
Verify street address
Briefly mention what you have for the patient to pick up
6. What is "Tall Man Lettering" used for?
ANS is used to help differentiate portions of sound-alike/look-alike drug names that
are different so as to draw one's eye to a potential source of error. (e.g., hydrALAzine vs.
hydrOXYzine).
7. What does inventory management include?
ANS Inventory management may include ordering
and receiving products, identifying specific storage requirements, and removing expired or recalled
medications
8. During data entry or calculations, do you use Trailing Zeros? What
about Leading Zeros? If so when do you use it?
ANS During data entry or calculations
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11
