LPN Pharmacology & Medication Administration 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient is prescribed morphine 4 mg IV PRN for pain. Which assessment finding should cause the LPN to withhold the dose and notify the provider?
- Pain rating of 6/10
- Respiratory rate of 10 breaths/min (Correct answer)
- Blood pressure of 130/80 mmHg
- Heart rate of 88 bpm
Correct answer: Respiratory rate of 10 breaths/min
Respiratory depression is a serious opioid side effect; a respiratory rate of 10 or below warrants withholding the dose and notifying the provider.
Question 2: Which medication class is MOST associated with causing hypokalemia as an adverse effect?
- ACE inhibitors
- Beta-blockers
- Loop diuretics (Correct answer)
- Calcium channel blockers
Correct answer: Loop diuretics
Loop diuretics such as furosemide cause significant urinary potassium wasting, leading to hypokalemia.
Question 3: The 'Six Rights' of medication administration include all of the following EXCEPT:
- Right patient
- Right diagnosis (Correct answer)
- Right dose
- Right route
Correct answer: Right diagnosis
The Six Rights are: right patient, drug, dose, route, time, and documentation — 'right diagnosis' is not one of them.
Question 4: A patient is taking lisinopril and develops a persistent dry cough. The LPN should recognize this as which type of reaction?
- Allergic reaction requiring epinephrine
- Common adverse effect of ACE inhibitors (Correct answer)
- Sign of pulmonary edema
- Toxic drug reaction requiring dialysis
Correct answer: Common adverse effect of ACE inhibitors
A persistent dry cough is a well-known adverse effect of ACE inhibitors caused by bradykinin accumulation.
Question 5: Which action should the LPN take FIRST after a needlestick injury during medication administration?
- Complete an incident report
- Notify the charge nurse immediately
- Wash the site thoroughly with soap and water (Correct answer)
- Call the occupational health department
Correct answer: Wash the site thoroughly with soap and water
Immediate washing with soap and water is the first priority to reduce risk of infection following a needlestick injury.
Question 6: A patient on isoniazid (INH) for tuberculosis should be supplemented with which vitamin to prevent a common drug-induced deficiency?
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) (Correct answer)
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin B12
Correct answer: Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
INH interferes with pyridoxine (B6) metabolism, causing peripheral neuropathy; B6 supplementation is routinely given to prevent this.
Question 7: When administering medications through an enteral (NG) tube, the LPN should take which action regarding extended-release tablets?
- Crush them finely and flush with hot water
- Dissolve them in 60 mL of juice
- Do not crush; contact the provider for an alternative form (Correct answer)
- Cut them in half before administration
Correct answer: Do not crush; contact the provider for an alternative form
Extended-release tablets must never be crushed because doing so destroys the release mechanism and can cause toxicity from rapid drug release.
LPN Pharmacology & Medication Administration 3
A patient is prescribed morphine 4 mg IV PRN for pain.
Which assessment finding should cause the LPN to withhold the dose and notify the provider?