AMAP AMAP Emergency Procedures and Incident Reporting 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient tells the AMAP they are allergic to penicillin, but the medication administration record (MAR) does not list this allergy. The AMAP should:
- Hold the medication and notify the nurse immediately (Correct answer)
- Administer the medication since the MAR overrides verbal reports
- Ask the patient to prove the allergy before withholding the drug
- Give the medication and document the verbal report afterward
Correct answer: Hold the medication and notify the nurse immediately
Any reported allergy must be taken seriously; the AMAP should hold the medication and immediately notify the nurse to verify and update the MAR.
Question 2: Which sign or symptom after medication administration warrants IMMEDIATE emergency response?
- Sudden difficulty breathing or throat tightness (Correct answer)
- Mild drowsiness consistent with the medication's effects
- Slight redness at a topical application site
- Patient stating the medication tastes bitter
Correct answer: Sudden difficulty breathing or throat tightness
Sudden difficulty breathing or throat tightness can indicate anaphylaxis, a life-threatening emergency requiring immediate action.
Question 3: After witnessing a patient fall while trying to get up after receiving a sedating medication, the AMAP should:
- Stay with the patient, call for help, and complete an incident report (Correct answer)
- Help the patient up and say nothing if no injury is visible
- Document it at shift end without telling the nurse
- Administer a stimulant to counteract sedation
Correct answer: Stay with the patient, call for help, and complete an incident report
Any patient fall must be reported immediately, the patient assessed for injury, and an incident report completed regardless of apparent harm.
Question 4: What information is essential to include in an incident report for a medication error?
- What happened, when it happened, the patient's condition, and actions taken (Correct answer)
- Only the name of the staff member involved
- Personal opinions about why the error occurred
- Only the medication name without dosage details
Correct answer: What happened, when it happened, the patient's condition, and actions taken
A complete incident report includes objective facts: what happened, the time, the patient's response, and the corrective actions taken.
Question 5: An AMAP realizes mid-shift that they gave the morning medications without documenting them. The correct action is to:
- Document them promptly with the actual time administered and a late entry note (Correct answer)
- Back-date the documentation to the original medication time
- Leave the documentation blank to avoid confusion
- Ask a colleague to document on their behalf
Correct answer: Document them promptly with the actual time administered and a late entry note
Late entries must be clearly marked with the actual administration time and a note that it is a late entry, never back-dated.
Question 6: Which of the following patient behaviors after medication administration should be reported as a potential adverse event?
- Sudden confusion or agitation not present before the medication (Correct answer)
- Asking for a glass of water after taking a pill
- Commenting that the pill is large
- Falling asleep shortly after a prescribed sleep aid
Correct answer: Sudden confusion or agitation not present before the medication
Sudden new-onset confusion or agitation after medication can indicate a serious adverse drug reaction and must be reported to the nurse immediately.
AMAP AMAP Emergency Procedures and Incident Reporting 3
A patient tells the AMAP they are allergic to penicillin, but the medication administration record (MAR) does not list this allergy.
The AMAP should: