TEST BANK FOR UNDERSTANDING PHARMACOLOGY, ESSENTIALS FOR MEDICATION SAFETY, 3RD EDITION NEW VERSION|2026/2027

TEST BANK FOR UNDERSTANDING PHARMACOLOGY,
ESSENTIALS FOR MEDICATION SAFETY, 3RD EDITION
NEW VERSION|2026/2027

,MULTIPLE CHOICE

BASIC CONCEPTS

1. Which health care professional has the major responsibility for dispensing prescribed
medical drugs under the direction of a pharmacist?
a. Physician
b Nursing attendant
. practitioner
c. Licensed nursing
attendant
d Pharmacy technician
.


ACCURATE RESPONSE:-D
Review feedback:->>>The physician and nursing attendant have the major responsibility for
prescribing medical drugs, not dispensing them. The licensed nursing attendant has the primary
responsibility for administering medical drugs, although under some circumstances a licensed
nursing attendant may dispense prescribed medical drugs but this is not his or her major
responsibility in medical drug therapy. The pharmacy technician has the major responsibility of
dispensing prescribed medical drugs under the direction of a licensed pharmacist.

DIFFICULT: Cognitive Level: Remembering REF: p. 3

2. Which term describes the effect of a medical drug that improves body function?
a. Side effect
b Intended action
.
c. Adverse reaction
d Idiosyncratic response
.


ACCURATE RESPONSE:-B
Review feedback :->>>The aim of medical drug therapy is to take a medical drug to prevent,
lessen, or correct a health problem. This response is any medical drug’s intended action also
known as a therapeutic response.

DIFFICULT: Cognitive Level: Remembering REF: p. 3

3. Which type of medical drug name is “owned” by the company that manufactures it?
a. Generic name
b Chemical name

.
c. Category name
d Trade name
.


ACCURATE RESPONSE:-D
Review feedback:->>>The chemical name is a medical drug’s exact chemical composition. The
generic name is the name assigned to the medical drug by the U.S. Adopted Names Council and

,is not owned by anyone. The category name refers to the type of medical drug (what it does or
what it is used for) and is not an actual medical drug name. The trade name (brand name) is the
name provided and owned by a specific medical drug’s manufacturer.

DIFFICULT: Cognitive Level: Remembering REF: p. 4

4. Which medical drug or medical drug class is a “high alert” medical drug?
a. Penicillin
b Insulin
.
c. NSAIDs
d Calcium
.


ACCURATE RESPONSE:-B
Review feedback:->>>A high alert medical drug is one in which harm is likely to result if given
at the wrong dose, to the wrong hospital client, or not given to the correct hospital client.
Medical drugs classified as high alert medical drugs include potassium, narcotics (opioids),
insulin, cancer chemotherapy medical drugs, and heparin (or any medical drug that strongly
affects blood clotting). Penicillin, NSAIDs, and calcium are not considered high alert medical
drugs.

DIFFICULT: Cognitive Level: Remembering REF: p. 4

5. What is the term for a medical drug that has the same action as a naturally
occurring body hormone or enzyme?
a. Agonist
b Blocking agent
.
c. Chemical
d Duplicator
.


ACCURATE RESPONSE:- A
Review feedback:->>>A medical drug agonist is an extrinsic medical drug that activates the
receptor sites of a cell and mimics the actions of naturally occurring body substances (intrinsic
medical drugs). A blocking agent is a medical drug antagonist. A chemical would not necessarily
be a medical drug at all. A duplicator is not a pharmacologic term.

DIFFICULT: Cognitive Level: Remembering REF: pp. 6-7

6. Which term describes how the body affects medical drug activity?
a. Medical drug
potency
b Pharmacodynamics
.
c. Therapeutic effect
d Pharmacokinetics
.


ACCURATE RESPONSE:-D

, Review feedback:->>>The term pharmacokinetics refers to medical drug metabolism and how
the body changes a medical drug. Pharmacodynamics refers to how a medical drug works to
change body function. Medical drug potency refers to how strongly or to what degree a medical
drug exerts its effects. The therapeutic effect is closer to pharmacodynamics, meaning how a
medical drug works to change body function.

DIFFICULT: Cognitive Level: Remembering REF: p. 10

7. In the United States, which group is responsible for enforcing established standards for
medical drug manufacturing?
a. U.S. Pharmacopeia
b National Institutes of Health
.
c. Food and Medical drug Administration
d Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers
.


ACCURATE RESPONSE:-C
Review feedback:->>>The standards for medical drug manufacture are established by the U.S.
Pharmacopeia. These standards are enforced by the Food and Medical drug Administration.
Neither the National Institutes of Health nor the Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers
has any authority to enforce medical drug standards.

DIFFICULT: Cognitive Level: Remembering REF: p. 5

8. Which factor is a major disadvantage of the transdermal medical drug delivery route?
a. Only a prescriber can administer medical drugs by the
transdermal route.
b Transdermal medical drugs must be sterile rather than clean.
.
c. First pass medical drug loss by this route is the most extensive.
d Medical drug absorption is dependent on adequate circulation.




ACCURATE RESPONSE:-D
Review feedback:->>>Once a transdermal medical drug moves through the skin, it must enter
the bloodstream to reach its target tissue. If circulation is poor to the area where the transdermal
medical drug is applied, very little, if any, of the medical drug will reach its target tissue.

DIFFICULT: Cognitive Level: Remembering REF: p. 12

9. How are intrinsic medical drugs different from extrinsic medical drugs?
a. Intrinsic medical drugs are made by the body, whereas extrinsic medical drugs are made
outside the body.
b Intrinsic medical drugs are administered by the parenteral route, whereas extrinsic medical
. drugs are administered by the oral route.
c. Extrinsic medical drugs can only be applied to the skin or mucous membranes, whereas
intrinsic medical drugs are taken internally.
d Extrinsic medical drugs require a prescription for administration, whereas intrinsic medical
. drugs are available over-the-counter.