McCuistion Chapter 9 - Safety and
Quality
The nurse is reading a medication order and is not sure of the drug name. What action will
the nurse perform first?
a. Look up the generic name of the medication.
b. Call the pharmacy.
c. Call the health care provider.
d. Ask the patient what medications he or she was taking at home.
c. Call the health care provider.
[If the nurse cannot understand all components of a drug order, the nurse needs to call the
health care provider who wrote the order. If the health care provider is not available, the
pharmacist may be able to identify which drug has been prescribed.]
The nurse checks a medication dose that seems high. What is the nurse's highest priority
initial action?
a. Consult another nurse to double-check calculations.
b. Consult a pharmacist.
c. Administer the dose anyway.
d. Call the health care provider.
d. Call the health care provider.
[The nurse can have others double-check the dosage or the math calculations; however, the
nurse should call the health care provider who ordered the medication to report the
discrepancies in the dose. Patient safety is the primary concern.]
The nurse administered an opioid medication. What intervention is most important to perform
after the medication has been administered?
a. Assess the patient's vital signs.
b. Teach the patient about the medication action.
c. Document patient response to the medication.
d. Write a nursing note.
c. Document patient response to the medication.
[Documentation of the patient's response to the medication is required.]
, The nurse is uncertain regarding directions for preparing a medication. For clarification, who
should the nurse contact?
a. The health care provider
b. The facility pharmacy
c. The shift supervisor
d. The charge nurse
b. The facility pharmacy
[The facility pharmacy will have information regarding the directions for preparation of
medications. Neither the health care provider, shift supervisor, nor the charge nurse would
have information regarding this.]
The nurse recognizes that he has made a medication error. What is the nurse's highest
priority initial action?
a. Notify the health care provider.
b. Notify the shift supervisor.
c. Assess the patient's condition.
d. Verify the drug that should have been given.
c. Assess the patient's condition.
[Although all of the actions should be implemented, the highest priority initial action is to
assess the patient's condition. The patient's safety is always paramount.]
Which variable should the nurse identify as having the most impact on determining the right
dose?
A. Age
B. Ethnicity
C. Weight
D. Sex
C.
Which patient assessment takes priority when a nurse is administering oral medications?
A. Nutritional status
B. Ability to swallow
C. Time since last meal
Quality
The nurse is reading a medication order and is not sure of the drug name. What action will
the nurse perform first?
a. Look up the generic name of the medication.
b. Call the pharmacy.
c. Call the health care provider.
d. Ask the patient what medications he or she was taking at home.
c. Call the health care provider.
[If the nurse cannot understand all components of a drug order, the nurse needs to call the
health care provider who wrote the order. If the health care provider is not available, the
pharmacist may be able to identify which drug has been prescribed.]
The nurse checks a medication dose that seems high. What is the nurse's highest priority
initial action?
a. Consult another nurse to double-check calculations.
b. Consult a pharmacist.
c. Administer the dose anyway.
d. Call the health care provider.
d. Call the health care provider.
[The nurse can have others double-check the dosage or the math calculations; however, the
nurse should call the health care provider who ordered the medication to report the
discrepancies in the dose. Patient safety is the primary concern.]
The nurse administered an opioid medication. What intervention is most important to perform
after the medication has been administered?
a. Assess the patient's vital signs.
b. Teach the patient about the medication action.
c. Document patient response to the medication.
d. Write a nursing note.
c. Document patient response to the medication.
[Documentation of the patient's response to the medication is required.]
, The nurse is uncertain regarding directions for preparing a medication. For clarification, who
should the nurse contact?
a. The health care provider
b. The facility pharmacy
c. The shift supervisor
d. The charge nurse
b. The facility pharmacy
[The facility pharmacy will have information regarding the directions for preparation of
medications. Neither the health care provider, shift supervisor, nor the charge nurse would
have information regarding this.]
The nurse recognizes that he has made a medication error. What is the nurse's highest
priority initial action?
a. Notify the health care provider.
b. Notify the shift supervisor.
c. Assess the patient's condition.
d. Verify the drug that should have been given.
c. Assess the patient's condition.
[Although all of the actions should be implemented, the highest priority initial action is to
assess the patient's condition. The patient's safety is always paramount.]
Which variable should the nurse identify as having the most impact on determining the right
dose?
A. Age
B. Ethnicity
C. Weight
D. Sex
C.
Which patient assessment takes priority when a nurse is administering oral medications?
A. Nutritional status
B. Ability to swallow
C. Time since last meal
