MACE Medication Administration and Reporting 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A resident refuses their scheduled medication. What is the FIRST action the medication aide should take?
- Crush the medication and hide it in food
- Document the refusal and notify the nurse (Correct answer)
- Administer the medication anyway to maintain the schedule
- Discard the medication immediately without documentation
Correct answer: Document the refusal and notify the nurse
When a resident refuses medication, the aide must document the refusal and promptly notify the supervising nurse so appropriate follow-up can occur.
Question 2: Which 'right' of medication administration refers to ensuring the dose matches the physician's order?
- Right route
- Right time
- Right dose (Correct answer)
- Right resident
Correct answer: Right dose
The right dose means confirming that the amount of medication to be given exactly matches what is ordered by the physician.
Question 3: A medication aide discovers a medication error after administration. What should they do?
- Wait to see if the resident shows symptoms before reporting
- Immediately notify the supervising nurse and complete an incident report (Correct answer)
- Document only in the MAR and take no further action
- Ask a coworker to handle the situation
Correct answer: Immediately notify the supervising nurse and complete an incident report
Medication errors must be reported immediately to the supervising nurse and documented via an incident report to ensure resident safety.
Question 4: When administering eye drops, the medication aide should instill drops into which area of the eye?
- Directly onto the cornea
- The lower conjunctival sac (Correct answer)
- The inner corner near the tear duct
- The upper eyelid
Correct answer: The lower conjunctival sac
Eye drops should be placed into the lower conjunctival sac (lower lid pocket) to minimize irritation and improve absorption.
Question 5: Which action is required before administering any medication to a resident?
- Confirm the resident's identity using at least two identifiers (Correct answer)
- Ask the resident's roommate to confirm their name
- Check the resident's insurance information
- Obtain a signature from the physician
Correct answer: Confirm the resident's identity using at least two identifiers
Identifying the resident using at least two identifiers (e.g., name and date of birth) is mandatory before administering any medication to prevent errors.
Question 6: A resident is prescribed a medication 'PRN.' What does this mean?
- Give the medication every night at bedtime
- Give the medication as needed based on specific conditions (Correct answer)
- Give the medication with every meal
- Give the medication only when ordered by a nurse
Correct answer: Give the medication as needed based on specific conditions
PRN is a Latin abbreviation for 'pro re nata,' meaning the medication is given as needed when a specific condition or symptom arises.
Question 7: Which of the following is an example of a medication side effect that must be reported immediately?
- Mild drowsiness after taking an antihistamine
- Difficulty swallowing after taking an oral medication (Correct answer)
- Slight dryness of the mouth after an anticholinergic
- Temporary skin flushing after a niacin dose
Correct answer: Difficulty swallowing after taking an oral medication
Difficulty swallowing after oral medication can indicate a serious adverse reaction such as angioedema and must be reported to the nurse immediately.
MACE Medication Administration and Reporting 2
A resident refuses their scheduled medication.
What is the FIRST action the medication aide should take?