Medication Safety Flashcards
7 cards from real CPHT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Medication Safety flashcards as text
When performing an independent double-check, what is the correct procedure?
Answer: The second checker verifies independently without seeing the first checker's result
An effective independent double-check requires the second person to perform the check without seeing the first checker's result to avoid confirmation bias.
A pharmacy technician notices a patient has been on a high-dose opioid for 90 days without a dose review. Which action is most appropriate?
Answer: Alert the pharmacist to review the patient's therapy
The technician should alert the pharmacist, who can review appropriateness and contact the prescriber if a dose reassessment is warranted.
What does a 'near miss' represent in pharmacy error management?
Answer: An error that was caught before reaching the patient
A near miss is an error or unsafe condition that was detected and corrected before it reached the patient, representing a valuable learning opportunity.
Which abbreviation is on the ISMP 'Do Not Use' list due to misinterpretation risk?
Answer: U (for units)
The abbreviation 'U' for units can be mistaken for '0' (zero), leading to 10-fold dosing errors, so 'units' should always be written out.
A pharmacist counsels a patient on a new anticoagulant. Under medication safety principles, what role does patient education play?
Answer: It adds a patient-centered safety layer to the dispensing process
Patient education empowers patients to recognize errors, understand their medications, and report problems, adding a critical safety layer.
Which strategy best addresses the risk of a 'wrong route' medication error?
Answer: Route-specific connectors that prevent incorrect connections
Using physically incompatible connectors for different routes (e.g., enteral vs. IV tubing) is a forcing function that prevents wrong-route administration.
A technician fills a prescription for 'MTX' and dispenses methotrexate instead of mitoxantrone because both share the abbreviation. What is the root cause?
Answer: Use of an error-prone abbreviation in the prescription
Using the abbreviation 'MTX' is error-prone because it is shared by both methotrexate and mitoxantrone; ISMP recommends writing drug names in full.