Chapter 25 Medicating Patients

Multiple Choice

Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

25-1

____ 1.

1) Chemical 2)
Brand
3)
Trade
4) Generic

The primary care provider prescribes furosemide 40 mg IV for a patient with heart failure. Which drug name is used in this prescription?

ANS: 4
Furosemide, the generic name, was used by the physician in the drug order. The brand or trade name of the drug is Lasix; the chemical name is 4-chloro-N-furfuryl-5-sulfamoylanthranilic acid.

____ 2.

PTS: 1 DIF: Difficult REF: p. 746
KEY: Nursing process: Planning | Client need: SECE | Cognitive level: Comprehension

A patient is prescribed fluoxetine 20 mg by mouth daily for treatment of depression. The nurse caring for the patient is unfamiliar with this drug. Which action should she take before administering the medication?

1)
Inform the prescriber that she is not comfortable administering the drug. 2)
Ask a nursing colleague for relevant information about the drug.
3)
Consult the drug formulary accessible to staff at the patient care unit.
4)
Trust the prescriber writes the dose and administer the drug as intended.

ANS: 3
The nurse is responsible for every medication she administers. Therefore, the nurse must be familiar with the indications, routes of administration, dosages, contraindications, adverse reactions, drug interactions, and any special administration guidelines associated with each drug before administration. There are numerous ways to become more informed about medication, such as a drug formulary, Physicians’ Desk Reference, or registered pharmacist before administration. The nurse should not rely on information from a colleague because as a secondary source of information, there is a risk for inaccuracy, which can be dangerous in a patient care situation.

____ 3.

A surgeon prescribes potassium chloride 20 mEq by mouth for a patient with a nasogastric (NG) tube for gastric drainage. How should the nurse proceed?

Treas Wilkinson Basic Nursing ETB

PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate REF: pp. 746-747
KEY: Nursing process: Planning | Client need: SECE | Cognitive level: Application

25-2

1)
Seek clarification from the surgeon about the medication order. 2)
Clamp the NG tube while administering the dose by mouth.
3)
Instill the medication through the NG tube.
4)
Withhold the oral potassium chloride elixir.

ANS: 1
The nurse should seek clarification from the surgeon about the medication ordered via the nasogastric route. If the patient has a nasogastric tube in place to release gastric drainage, any medication given by mouth would be lost into the drainage collection unit and, therefore, be unavailable to the patient for therapeutic use. The nurse does not have authority to electively withhold or alter the route of prescribed treatment without seeking clarification and resolving any discrepancy in the route by which the medication would be administered.

____

PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate REF: pp. 750, 767
KEY: Nursing process: Interventions | Client need: SECE | Cognitive level: Application

4. A patient calls the nurse because he is having incision pain and wants a dose of analgesic medication. When the nurse checks the patient’s medication administration record, she notes that he is prescribed the narcotic, hydromorphone (Dilaudid). Where should the nurse expect to retrieve this drug for administration?

1)
Cabinet in the patient’s room
2)
Double-locked medication drawer 3)
Stock supply cabinet
4)
Portable medication cart

ANS: 2
Hydromorphone (Dilaudid) is a controlled substance and must be kept in a double-locked medication drawer for control of inventory. Frequently used Schedule II medications, such as ibuprofen, are stored in the stock supply. Other prescribed medications may be stored in a locked cabinet in the patient’s room or in the medication cart.