Chapter 28 Medications

Chapter 28  Medications

Complete Chapter Questions And Answers
 

Sample Questions

1.
The nurse is preparing to administer a medication via a nasogastric tube. What guideline is appropriate for the nurse to follow when administering a drug via this route?
A)
Flush the tube with water between each drug administered.
B)
Position the client supine prior to administering the drug.
C)
Administer the medication at a cold temperature.
D)
If connected to suction, do not reconnect to suction for five minutes after drug administration.
Ans:
A

Feedback:

Guidelines to consider when administering a drug via nasogastric tube include positioning the client with the head of the bed elevated, administering the medication at room temperature for the client’s comfort, flushing the tube with water between each drug administered, and avoiding the use of suction for 20 to 30 minutes after the drug is administered.

2.
The medical chart of a newly admitted client notes a penicillin allergy, yet the physician has just written an order for an antibiotic in the same drug family after reviewing the client’s wound culture and sensitivity. How should the nurse respond to this situation?
A)
Withhold the medication until the potential drug allergy has been addressed by the care team.
B)
Administer the medication and increase the frequency of assessments in the hours that follow.
C)
Substitute an antibiotic with similar action, but which is from a different drug family.
D)
Discuss the severity, signs and symptoms of the drug allergy with the client in order to ascertain the risks of administration.
Ans:
A

Feedback:

Client safety is paramount, and the nurse has a responsibility to ensure that a potential threat of harm is identified and dealt with promptly. It is beyond the nurse’s scope of practice to independently substitute another drug, and it would be unsafe to administer the drug in light of this revelation. The nurse would not administer the drug even if the client stated that his or her allergy is mild.

3.
Which of the following clients receives a drug that requires parenteral route?
A)
A woman who has been ordered intravenous antibiotics
B)
A woman who takes a diuretic pill each morning
C)
A man with emphysema who uses nebulized bronchodilators
D)
A man who has an antifungal ointment applied to his skin rash daily
Ans:
A

Feedback:

The parenteral route includes such methods as intravenous administration and injections. Pills are given by an oral route and a nebulizer is administered by the pulmonary route. An ointment is a topical medication.

4.
A physician has ordered peak and trough levels of a medication. When would the nurse schedule the trough level specimen?
A)
Before administering the first dose
B)
Immediately after the first dose
C)
30 minutes before the next dose
D)
24 hours after the last dose
Ans:
C

Feedback:

The trough level is the point when the drug is at its lowest concentration, and the specimen is usually drawn in the 30-minute interval before the next dose. The peak level, in contrast, is the highest plasma concentration of the drug.

5.
A client taking insulin has his levels adjusted to ensure that the concentration of drug in the blood serum produces the desired effect without causing toxicity. What is the term for this desired effect?
A)
Peak level
B)
Trough level
C)
Half-life
D)
Therapeutic range
Ans:
D

Feedback:

A drug’s therapeutic range is the concentration of drug in the blood serum that produces the desired effect without causing toxicity. The peak level, or highest plasma concentration, of the drug should be measured when absorption is complete. The peak level may be affected by factors that affect drug absorption as well as the route of administration. The trough level is the point when the drug is at its lowest concentration, and this specimen is usually drawn in the 30-minute interval before the next dose. A drug’s half-life is the amount of time it takes for 50% of the blood concentration of a drug to be eliminated from the body.