Patient Counseling & Safety Flashcards
7 cards from real CCP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Patient Counseling & Safety flashcards as text
A patient prescribed lithium asks if they can use ibuprofen for knee pain. What is the most important counseling point?
Answer: NSAIDs can increase lithium levels and lead to toxicity
NSAIDs reduce renal prostaglandin synthesis, decreasing lithium excretion and raising serum lithium levels to potentially toxic concentrations.
When counseling a patient about clonidine patch placement for hypertension, which instruction is most important?
Answer: Rotate application sites on hairless skin and dispose of used patches safely
Rotating sites prevents local skin irritation, and used clonidine patches still contain significant drug amounts and must be folded sticky-side-in before disposal to prevent accidental exposure.
A patient with heart failure is started on spironolactone. What dietary counseling is most essential?
Answer: Avoid potassium-rich foods and potassium supplements due to hyperkalemia risk
Spironolactone is a potassium-sparing diuretic; adding potassium-rich foods or supplements significantly raises hyperkalemia risk, which can cause life-threatening arrhythmias.
Which of the following best describes medication reconciliation in a long-term care setting?
Answer: Comparing a patient's current medication orders to all medications the patient was taking prior to a transition of care
Medication reconciliation is the process of comparing medication orders to all medications a patient was taking before a transition to identify and resolve discrepancies.
A consultant pharmacist counsels a patient newly prescribed tacrolimus after a kidney transplant. Which counseling point is most critical for safety?
Answer: Avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice because they significantly increase tacrolimus levels
Grapefruit inhibits CYP3A4, the primary enzyme metabolizing tacrolimus, causing dangerous drug level increases and toxicity risk.
A patient on a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) asks about using pseudoephedrine for nasal congestion. What is the appropriate response?
Answer: Pseudoephedrine is contraindicated with MAOIs due to risk of hypertensive crisis
MAOIs potentiate the effects of sympathomimetics like pseudoephedrine, causing potentially fatal hypertensive crisis.
A long-term care patient is prescribed a new antipsychotic. What is a key safety monitoring parameter the consultant pharmacist should establish?
Answer: Monitoring for extrapyramidal symptoms, metabolic changes, and QTc prolongation
Antipsychotics carry risks of extrapyramidal effects, metabolic syndrome, and QTc prolongation that require structured ongoing monitoring.