Preventing Medication Errors

~ Exam ~

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This test has 25 questions.

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1. Each year, the estimated number of Americans who die as a result of medical mistakes is approximately:
  a. 100
  b. 2,500
  c. 37,000
  d. 98,000
2. The estimated number of people who die annually from medication errors exceeds:
  a. 100
  b. 1,000
  c. 3,700
  d. 7,000
3. On written drug prescriptions, use of abbreviations prevents errors by making it easier for the prescriber to clearly communicate vital information such as dosages, drug names, and directions for use.
  a. True
  b. False
4. Experts attribute most medication errors to incompetence on the part of nurses, doctors, and pharmacists.
  a. True
  b. False
5. Use of computerized entry of drug prescriptions has been shown to decrease serious medication errors by:
  a. less than 10 percent
  b. more than 30 percent
  c. more than 50 percent
  d. 100 percent
6. One way to reduce medication errors is to train staff to work in teams in high-pressure areas; people make fewer mistakes when they work in teams.
  a. True
  b. False
7. The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention recommends that all written prescriptions include:
  a. a brief notation of the drug's purpose (unless considered inappropriate by the prescriber)
  b. age of the patient
  c. exact metric weight or concentration of the drug
  d. dosage form of the drug
  e. all of the above
8. Most experts agree that the best way to reduce medical mistakes is to:
  a. enforce staff participation in more training programs.
  b. increase standard salaries for hospital employees.
  c. add safety systems to hospitals.
  d. penalize employees who make mistakes by docking their wages and telling other employees about the error.
9. Most states have programs in place to regularly audit health care facilities to ensure that all medical errors are reported.
  a. True
  b. False
10. In one study, adding a pharmacist to a team of doctors making rounds in an intensive care unit decreased problems resulting from prescribing errors by:
  a. 0 percent
  b. 25 percent
  c. 66 percent
  d. 100 percent
11. Nurses and other staff should be trained to firmly, but politely, tell patients who ask questions to trust the staff, as asking questions wastes time and distracts employees.
  a. True
  b. False
12. Children run less of a risk of suffering medication errors than adults.
  a. True
  b. False
13. Drugs that should be handled with special care, due to their high risk of causing death or serious harm when administered incorrectly, include:
  a. chemotherapeutic agents
  b. potassium chloride
  c. insulin
  d. warfarin
  e. all of the above
14. The most common errors in drug dosages occur in:
  a. children
  b. elderly patients
  c. A & B
  d. none of the above
15. A zero should always follow a decimal expression of less than one.
  a. True
  b. False
16. In states where mandatory error reporting programs have been established, most medical mistakes are reported and addressed.
  a. True
  b. False
17. Experts estimate that each year adverse drug events cost the U.S. health care system:
  a. More than $100,000
  b. More than $2.5 million
  c. More than $1 billion
  d. More than $2 billion
18. Well-trained, experienced medical professionals do not make mistakes on the job.
  a. True
  b. False
19. Hospitals can use computer systems to:
  a. eliminate the problem of illegible handwritten prescriptions.
  b. help flag improper drug doses.
  c. alert health care providers of potential allergic reactions.
  d. all of the above.
20. Most experts recommend that nurses prepare high-risk intravenous medications in patient-care units, as a nurse's familiarity with a patient's condition reduces the nurses likelihood of making a mistake when mixing the drug.
  a. True
  b. False
21. Staff should disconnect noisy monitors and other machinery if it interferes with a patient's ability to rest and a family member or friend is keeping an eye on the patient.
  a. True
  b. False
22. The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention advises that as long as verbal medication orders are given properly, they can be used to save time in all patient-care situations.
  a. True
  b. False
23. The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention recommends that health care providers read drug labels:
  a. when reaching for or preparing a drug.
  b. when reaching for or preparing a drug, and immediately prior to administering the drug.
  c. when reaching for or preparing a drug, and immediately prior to administering the drug, and when discarding the container or replacing it into its storage location.
24. The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention advises that pharmacists be encouraged not to counsel patients, as they lack the education and training necessary to provide full information about a patient's particular drug regimen.
  a. True
  b. False
25. The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention recommends that administrators consider factors such as lighting, noise level, and potential for distraction when designing a work environment for those who dispense drugs.
  a. True
  b. False