MACE Routes of Administration 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A resident's order reads 'one drop OS.' Where should the medication aide administer the drop?
- Right ear
- Left eye (Correct answer)
- Right eye
- Both eyes
Correct answer: Left eye
OS stands for 'oculus sinister,' the Latin term for the left eye.
Question 2: Intranasal medications are administered by:
- Swallowing a tablet
- Inhaling spray into the nasal passages (Correct answer)
- Placing drops under the tongue
- Applying cream to the nostril exterior
Correct answer: Inhaling spray into the nasal passages
Intranasal medications are sprayed or dropped into the nasal passages for local or systemic absorption through the nasal mucosa.
Question 3: When administering eye drops, the medication aide should instill the drop into which area of the eye?
- Directly onto the cornea
- Into the lower conjunctival sac (Correct answer)
- Into the upper eyelid
- Into the corner near the nose
Correct answer: Into the lower conjunctival sac
Eye drops should be instilled into the lower conjunctival sac (lower lid pocket) to avoid direct contact with the sensitive cornea.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes the enteral route of medication administration?
- Medication delivered through the skin
- Medication delivered through the gastrointestinal tract (Correct answer)
- Medication delivered by injection
- Medication delivered through the lungs
Correct answer: Medication delivered through the gastrointestinal tract
Enteral routes involve the gastrointestinal tract and include oral, rectal, and gastric tube administration.
Question 5: A medication aide must never crush which type of oral medication?
- Immediate-release tablets
- Extended-release capsules (Correct answer)
- Chewable tablets
- Scored tablets
Correct answer: Extended-release capsules
Extended-release (ER/XR) medications should never be crushed because doing so destroys the controlled-release mechanism and can cause dangerous overdose.
Question 6: Inhalation medications administered via a metered-dose inhaler (MDI) primarily work by:
- Absorbing through the stomach lining
- Delivering medication directly to the lungs (Correct answer)
- Dissolving under the tongue
- Penetrating through the skin surface
Correct answer: Delivering medication directly to the lungs
MDI inhalers deliver aerosolized medication directly to the bronchial airways and lungs for rapid local effect with minimal systemic absorption.
Question 7: Which action should a medication aide take immediately after administering ear drops?
- Have the resident shake their head side to side
- Gently press on the tragus and have resident remain still (Correct answer)
- Insert a cotton ball tightly into the ear canal
- Rinse the ear with warm water
Correct answer: Gently press on the tragus and have resident remain still
Gently pressing on the tragus (the small cartilage flap) helps direct drops into the canal, and remaining still allows medication to reach the target area.
MACE Routes of Administration 3
A resident's order reads 'one drop OS.' Where should the medication aide administer the drop?