HAC Pharmacology & Drug Administration 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When preparing to assist with medication administration, the healthcare aide should check the 'Six Rights.' Which of the following is NOT one of them?
- Right patient
- Right medication
- Right physician (Correct answer)
- Right dose
Correct answer: Right physician
The Six Rights of medication administration include right patient, medication, dose, route, time, and documentation — not right physician.
Question 2: A medication order reads '500 mg PO QID.' How many times per day should this medication be given?
- Once
- Twice
- Three times
- Four times (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Four times
QID means four times daily in medication abbreviation terminology.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes a drug's 'half-life'?
- The time it takes for a drug to reach peak effectiveness
- The time needed for the body to eliminate half the drug's concentration (Correct answer)
- The dose at which the drug becomes toxic
- The shelf life of the medication
Correct answer: The time needed for the body to eliminate half the drug's concentration
Half-life is the time required for the plasma concentration of a drug to decrease by 50% after administration.
Question 4: Which medication storage condition is most commonly required to prevent degradation?
- Store in direct sunlight
- Keep at room temperature away from heat and moisture (Correct answer)
- Refrigerate all medications
- Store medications in the bathroom cabinet
Correct answer: Keep at room temperature away from heat and moisture
Most medications should be stored at room temperature, away from heat, light, and moisture to maintain potency and stability.
Question 5: A patient is allergic to penicillin. The nurse asks the aide to document this. Where should this information be recorded?
- Only in the aide's personal notes
- In the patient's allergy section of the medical record (Correct answer)
- On a sticky note on the medication cart
- It does not need to be documented
Correct answer: In the patient's allergy section of the medical record
Allergies must be prominently documented in the patient's official medical record allergy section to prevent dangerous medication errors.
Question 6: What does the term 'contraindication' mean in pharmacology?
- A recommended reason to give a medication
- A situation or condition in which a medication should NOT be used (Correct answer)
- The preferred route of administration
- A type of drug-drug interaction
Correct answer: A situation or condition in which a medication should NOT be used
A contraindication is a specific condition or circumstance that makes a particular treatment or medication inadvisable or potentially harmful.
Question 7: Which type of drug interaction occurs when two medications together produce a greater effect than either would alone?
- Antagonism
- Tolerance
- Synergism (Correct answer)
- Placebo response
Correct answer: Synergism
Synergism (or synergistic effect) occurs when two drugs combined produce an effect greater than the sum of their individual effects.
HAC Pharmacology & Drug Administration 3
When preparing to assist with medication administration, the healthcare aide should check the 'Six Rights.' Which of the following is NOT one of them?