Practice Test GeeksPSI Pharmacy Practice Test
← All PSI Flashcard Decks

Clinical Pharmacy & OTC Flashcards

6 cards from real PSI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 6 Clinical Pharmacy & OTC flashcards as text

  1. Polypharmacy is most commonly defined as the concurrent regular use of:

    Answer: 5 or more medicines simultaneously

    Polypharmacy is conventionally defined as ≥5 regular medicines. It is associated with increased adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, adherence problems and inappropriate prescribing.

  2. The STOPP/START criteria in Ireland are used to:

    Answer: Identify potentially inappropriate prescribing and prescribing omissions in older adults

    STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Persons' Prescriptions) and START (Screening Tool to Alert to Right Treatment) help identify potentially harmful medicines and missing beneficial ones in older patients.

  3. Which antibiotic class is contraindicated in children under 8 due to effects on developing teeth and bones?

    Answer: Tetracyclines

    Tetracyclines chelate calcium and deposit in growing teeth and bone, causing permanent grey-brown tooth discolouration and potentially inhibiting bone growth in children under 8.

  4. Which drug interaction between warfarin and amiodarone results in?

    Answer: Significantly increased INR due to amiodarone inhibiting CYP2C9-mediated warfarin metabolism

    Amiodarone is a potent CYP2C9 inhibitor and can double or triple warfarin plasma levels, dramatically raising INR and bleeding risk. The interaction can persist for weeks after amiodarone cessation due to its long half-life.

  5. A patient taking lithium reports severe hand tremor, slurred speech and confusion. This suggests:

    Answer: Lithium toxicity — check plasma levels urgently and seek emergency medical assessment

    Coarse tremor, dysarthria and confusion are signs of lithium toxicity (plasma level typically >1.5 mmol/L). This is a medical emergency — the patient needs urgent plasma level testing and possibly IV fluid diuresis.

  6. Which scoring system guides pharmacists in advising on head injury referral after a bump to the head?

    Answer: NICE Head Injury Guidelines criteria (loss of consciousness, amnesia, vomiting, age, mechanism)

    NICE head injury guidelines identify criteria for urgent CT scan and hospital referral including loss of consciousness, amnesia, vomiting (>1 episode), GCS <15, seizure, or high-risk mechanism (high fall, RTA).