MOH Clinical Medicine & Patient Safety 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The 'five rights' of medication administration include all EXCEPT:
- Right patient
- Right dose
- Right prescriber (Correct answer)
- Right route
Correct answer: Right prescriber
The five rights of medication administration are: right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, and right time. 'Right prescriber' is not one of the classic five rights.
Question 2: A patient with a blood pressure of 180/110 mmHg and severe headache most likely has:
- Hypertensive urgency (Correct answer)
- Hypertensive emergency
- White coat hypertension
- Orthostatic hypotension
Correct answer: Hypertensive urgency
Hypertensive urgency is defined as severe hypertension (>180/110 mmHg) without evidence of acute end-organ damage; the presence of headache alone does not confirm emergency unless neurological damage is demonstrated.
Question 3: Universal precautions in healthcare require gloves when:
- Only when the patient has a known infection
- During all invasive procedures and contact with body fluids (Correct answer)
- Only in the ICU
- Only when drawing blood from HIV-positive patients
Correct answer: During all invasive procedures and contact with body fluids
Universal precautions treat all patient blood and body fluids as potentially infectious; gloves must be worn during all invasive procedures and any contact with blood or body fluids regardless of diagnosis.
Question 4: The correct position for unconscious breathing adult patient is:
- Supine with legs elevated
- Recovery (lateral) position (Correct answer)
- Prone position
- Sitting upright
Correct answer: Recovery (lateral) position
The recovery (lateral) position maintains an open airway and prevents aspiration of vomit or secretions in an unconscious but breathing patient.
Question 5: Which of the following is the MOST important step before administering a blood transfusion?
- Warming the blood to 37°C
- Checking patient identity and blood group compatibility (Correct answer)
- Starting IV fluids to dilute the blood
- Premedication with antihistamines in all patients
Correct answer: Checking patient identity and blood group compatibility
Verifying patient identity against the blood bag label and cross-match report is the single most important step to prevent potentially fatal ABO incompatibility reactions.
Question 6: In a patient with suspected anaphylaxis, the FIRST-LINE treatment is:
- IV hydrocortisone
- Oral antihistamine
- IM epinephrine (adrenaline) (Correct answer)
- Nebulized salbutamol
Correct answer: IM epinephrine (adrenaline)
IM epinephrine (adrenaline) 0.5 mg (1:1000) into the mid-outer thigh is the first and most critical treatment for anaphylaxis, reversing bronchospasm, vasodilation, and urticaria.
MOH Clinical Medicine & Patient Safety 1
The 'five rights' of medication administration include all EXCEPT: