MACE Safety and Rights 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A medication aide discovers they administered the wrong dose of medication to a resident. The FIRST action to take is:
- Wait to see if the resident shows symptoms before reporting
- Immediately notify the supervising nurse (Correct answer)
- Document the error and hope no one notices
- Administer the correct dose to compensate
Correct answer: Immediately notify the supervising nurse
Immediately notifying the supervising nurse allows prompt assessment and intervention to minimize harm from a medication error.
Question 2: Which of the following is an example of a chemical restraint?
- A lap belt used during meals for positioning
- Sedating a resident with medication to manage wandering for staff convenience (Correct answer)
- Locked bed rails used for fall prevention per care plan
- Physical therapy exercises to improve balance
Correct answer: Sedating a resident with medication to manage wandering for staff convenience
Using sedating medication solely to control a resident's behavior for staff convenience rather than medical need constitutes a chemical restraint.
Question 3: A resident with dementia is unable to verbally communicate. How should a medication aide assess for pain before administering PRN pain medication?
- Assume the resident is not in pain since they cannot report it
- Observe for nonverbal cues such as grimacing, guarding, or agitation (Correct answer)
- Administer the medication regardless since it was ordered PRN
- Ask a family member to decide if medication is needed
Correct answer: Observe for nonverbal cues such as grimacing, guarding, or agitation
Nonverbal pain scales using behavioral cues are the appropriate tool for assessing pain in residents who cannot self-report.
Question 4: What does the acronym 'PASS' stand for when using a fire extinguisher?
- Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep (Correct answer)
- Press, Activate, Spray, Secure
- Point, Activate, Spread, Spray
- Pull, Apply, Squirt, Spread
Correct answer: Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep
PASS stands for Pull the pin, Aim at the base, Squeeze the handle, and Sweep side to side.
Question 5: A resident's family member arrives and demands to see the medication administration record (MAR). The medication aide should:
- Provide the MAR immediately to maintain family relations
- Politely direct the family member to the charge nurse or administrator (Correct answer)
- Allow viewing only if the family member is the healthcare proxy
- Refuse and tell the family member the records are confidential
Correct answer: Politely direct the family member to the charge nurse or administrator
Medical record access requests from family members must be handled by the nurse or administrator who can verify authorization and HIPAA compliance.
Question 6: When is it acceptable for a medication aide to borrow medications from one resident's supply to give to another resident?
- When the medications are the same drug and dose
- When the pharmacy is closed and it is an emergency
- When the supervising nurse approves the swap
- Never — this is never acceptable (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Never — this is never acceptable
Medications are prescribed for specific individuals and must never be transferred between residents regardless of circumstances.
Question 7: A medication aide observes a coworker pocketing a controlled substance from the medication cart. The appropriate response is to:
- Confront the coworker privately and warn them to stop
- Report the observation to the supervising nurse or administrator immediately (Correct answer)
- Document the incident in the resident's chart
- Ignore it if this was the first time observed
Correct answer: Report the observation to the supervising nurse or administrator immediately
Diversion of controlled substances is a serious legal and safety issue that must be reported immediately to a supervisor.
MACE Safety and Rights 3
A medication aide discovers they administered the wrong dose of medication to a resident.
The FIRST action to take is: