Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. When should a trough drug level generally be collected?
Immediately after the medication is administered
Only after the entire course of treatment is completed
Halfway between two scheduled doses
Shortly before the next scheduled dose
2. During a peripheral IV infusion, the site becomes cool, pale, swollen, and uncomfortable. Which complication is most likely?
Infiltration
Phlebitis
Local infection
Air embolism
3. Two medications are ordered through the same IV line, but their compatibility is unknown. What should be done before administering them?
Check an authoritative compatibility resource or consult a pharmacist
Give the medication with the lower dose first
Assume compatibility if both medications are diluted in saline
Mix a small amount and look for visible cloudiness
4. During medication reconciliation, a patient's home medication list conflicts with the admission orders. What is the best action?
Use the admission orders without documenting the discrepancy
Use the home list because it reflects the patient's usual routine
Clarify the discrepancy with appropriate sources and the prescriber before administration
Ask the patient to choose which version should be followed
5. Which plan is most appropriate for a patient receiving total parenteral nutrition through a central venous catheter?
Use a dedicated lumen when possible and perform prescribed glucose, electrolyte, and line monitoring
Use the same lumen for routine intermittent medications to reduce catheter access
Stop the infusion abruptly whenever the patient leaves the unit
Skip glucose monitoring because the nutrients are delivered intravenously
6. A patient develops wheezing, facial swelling, and hypotension shortly after an IV medication begins. What is the priority response?
Reduce the infusion rate and reassess after several minutes
Stop the medication and initiate the emergency response for anaphylaxis
Give an oral antihistamine and continue observing the patient
Finish the dose so the prescribed therapy is not interrupted
7. Which laboratory test is commonly used to titrate a continuous unfractionated heparin infusion, depending on the facility protocol?
International normalized ratio alone
Activated partial thromboplastin time or anti-factor Xa level
Bleeding time
Platelet count alone
8. Why should an enteric-coated tablet generally be swallowed whole?
Its coating increases the tablet's absorption through the mouth
Crushing it makes the medication chemically inactive
Its coating is intended primarily to disguise the medication's color
Crushing can defeat the coating's intended delayed-release or protective function
9. A patient becomes difficult to arouse and has a respiratory rate of 6 breaths per minute after receiving an IV opioid. Which response is the priority?
Support airway and ventilation, summon urgent help, and give naloxone as authorized
Allow the patient to sleep while checking again in 30 minutes
Offer oral fluids to speed medication clearance
Place the next opioid dose on hold without taking further action
10. Before administering a scheduled medication, which action most directly helps prevent giving it to the wrong patient?
Confirm that the medication was given at the same time yesterday
Ask the patient whether the medication looks familiar
Use two approved identifiers and compare them with the medication record
Check the room and bed number against the medication label
11. An order calls for 1,000 mL of IV fluid to infuse evenly over 8 hours using a pump. What rate should be programmed?
80 mL/hour
200 mL/hour
160 mL/hour
125 mL/hour
12. A facility requires an independent double-check before a high-alert medication is administered. What makes the check independent?
The patient verifies that the dose matches a previous dose
The administering clinician reads the prepared calculation aloud to a colleague
A colleague confirms that the medication package has not expired
A second qualified clinician separately verifies the key details before comparing findings
13. Fifteen minutes after a blood transfusion begins, a patient reports chills and lower-back pain and develops a fever. What should happen first?
Slow the transfusion and obtain another set of vital signs
Stop the transfusion and follow the transfusion-reaction protocol
Administer an antipyretic and continue the transfusion
Replace the blood tubing and restart the same unit
14. Which statement about intravenous potassium chloride is correct?
It may be given undiluted when potassium is critically low
It must be properly diluted and infused at a controlled rate, never given by IV push
It is safest when administered as a rapid manual IV push
It does not require pump control because potassium is naturally present in blood
15. An order permits regular insulin and NPH insulin to be mixed in one syringe. Which preparation sequence helps prevent contaminating the regular insulin vial?
Withdraw NPH insulin, inject air into the regular vial, then withdraw regular insulin
Withdraw equal amounts alternately from both vials
Withdraw clear regular insulin before cloudy NPH insulin
Withdraw NPH insulin first because it acts for a longer period
16. A vesicant medication is infusing through a peripheral IV when the patient reports burning and the site begins to swell. What is the appropriate initial response?
Flush the catheter forcefully with saline to clear the medication
Remove the catheter immediately before taking any other action
Stop the infusion, leave the catheter in place initially, and follow the extravasation protocol
Apply pressure and restart the infusion at a slower rate