MACE Medication Administration and Reporting 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The medication aide is preparing to apply a nitroglycerin ointment. Which personal protective measure is essential?
- Wearing a gown and face shield
- Wearing gloves to avoid absorbing the medication through their own skin (Correct answer)
- Wearing goggles to protect from splashing
- No protective equipment is needed for topical medications
Correct answer: Wearing gloves to avoid absorbing the medication through their own skin
Nitroglycerin is absorbed through the skin, so the medication aide must wear gloves to prevent inadvertent self-administration through skin contact.
Question 2: When administering ear drops to an adult resident, the aide should pull the pinna (ear lobe):
- Down and back
- Up and back (Correct answer)
- Straight out from the head
- Down and forward
Correct answer: Up and back
For adults, the pinna is pulled up and back to straighten the ear canal and allow the drops to flow toward the eardrum.
Question 3: A resident asks the medication aide why they are taking a particular medication. The aide should:
- Refuse to discuss any medication information with residents
- Explain the purpose of the medication in simple terms and refer detailed questions to the nurse (Correct answer)
- Change the subject to avoid liability
- Tell the resident to ask the physician at their next visit only
Correct answer: Explain the purpose of the medication in simple terms and refer detailed questions to the nurse
Medication aides may provide basic information about medications to residents and should refer complex clinical questions to the supervising nurse.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes the term 'idiosyncratic reaction' to a medication?
- An expected, predictable response based on the drug's pharmacology
- An unusual, unpredictable reaction unique to an individual that is not an allergy (Correct answer)
- A severe allergic response involving anaphylaxis
- A reaction that occurs only when two drugs are given together
Correct answer: An unusual, unpredictable reaction unique to an individual that is not an allergy
An idiosyncratic reaction is an abnormal, unpredictable response to a medication that is unique to an individual and not based on the drug's known pharmacology.
Question 5: A resident takes their morning medications and then immediately vomits. What should the medication aide do?
- Re-administer the same medications right away
- Document what occurred and notify the nurse to determine next steps (Correct answer)
- Wait until the next scheduled dose time without reporting
- Ask the resident if they want to try taking the medications again
Correct answer: Document what occurred and notify the nurse to determine next steps
Vomiting after medication administration must be documented and reported to the nurse, who will determine whether re-administration is appropriate.
Question 6: Which action by a medication aide indicates a breach of the 'right documentation' principle?
- Initialing the MAR immediately after giving each medication
- Documenting a medication as given before actually administering it (Correct answer)
- Recording the time of administration on the MAR
- Noting a medication refusal with the reason in the MAR
Correct answer: Documenting a medication as given before actually administering it
Documenting a medication as given before administering it is a serious violation of the right documentation principle and can lead to double-dosing or missed detection of refusals.
Question 7: A medication aide is unsure whether a new verbal order is appropriate for a resident. The BEST course of action is to:
- Follow the order since it came from a nurse
- Clarify the order with the nurse or charge nurse before administering (Correct answer)
- Skip the medication for that shift and document 'order unclear'
- Ask another medication aide for their opinion on the order
Correct answer: Clarify the order with the nurse or charge nurse before administering
When uncertain about any medication order, the medication aide must clarify with the nurse or charge nurse before administering to ensure resident safety.
MACE Medication Administration and Reporting 5
The medication aide is preparing to apply a nitroglycerin ointment.
Which personal protective measure is essential?