Medication Safety & Error Prevention Flashcards
7 cards from real MTM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Medication Safety & Error Prevention flashcards as text
Which of the following is the MOST effective system-level intervention to reduce medication errors compared to individual-level interventions?
Answer: Implementing computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) with clinical decision support
CPOE with clinical decision support intercepts errors at the point of prescribing through automated alerts, a system-level control that is far more reliable than education alone.
An MTM pharmacist is reviewing a patient's medication list and finds that the patient is taking both sertraline and tramadol. The primary safety concern is:
Answer: Increased risk of serotonin syndrome
Both sertraline (serotonergic agent) and tramadol (weak serotonin reuptake inhibitor and mu-opioid agonist) increase serotonergic activity, raising the risk of serotonin syndrome.
When evaluating medication errors using root cause analysis (RCA), what is the goal of identifying 'root causes' rather than individual blame?
Answer: To identify systemic failures and implement corrective system changes
RCA focuses on identifying the underlying system flaws — not individual fault — so that process changes can prevent recurrence of the same error.
A patient is prescribed warfarin and is told by a friend to take vitamin K supplements to 'improve blood health.' The MTM pharmacist should explain that vitamin K supplementation will most likely:
Answer: Antagonize warfarin's anticoagulant effect, reducing INR below therapeutic range
Vitamin K is the cofactor that warfarin antagonizes; supplementing it reduces warfarin's effectiveness and can decrease INR below the therapeutic target.
Which of the following patient counseling strategies BEST reduces the risk of accidental overdose with acetaminophen-containing combination products?
Answer: Teaching the patient to review all OTC and prescription labels for acetaminophen content
Many patients take multiple products containing acetaminophen without realizing it; teaching label reading across all products prevents unintentional cumulative overdose.
A pharmacist performing MTM notices a patient's clonidine patch is placed on their arm instead of the upper chest or back. What is the MOST important safety implication?
Answer: Reduced drug absorption leading to uncontrolled hypertension
Extremity placement can reduce clonidine absorption compared to the upper torso, potentially leading to inadequate blood pressure control.
Which of the following best describes the role of a Medication Use Evaluation (MUE) in preventing medication errors within an MTM program?
Answer: It systematically evaluates actual drug use against predefined therapeutic criteria to identify and correct problems
A MUE is a structured quality-improvement tool that compares real-world medication use to evidence-based criteria, identifying deviations that may cause errors or suboptimal outcomes.