Which of the following drugs is listed in Table 1 as a High Alert Medication?

Correct answer: Heparin

Explanation

Table 1 provides a comprehensive list of medications identified as 'high-alert' due to their potential to cause significant harm. Heparin, an anticoagulant, is a classic example because dosing errors can easily lead to life-threatening bleeding or clotting.

Other questions

Question 1

What is the primary goal of the shift in addressing medication errors, as promoted by the Institute of Medicine (IOM)?

Question 2

According to the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC-MERP), what is the definition of a medication error?

Question 3

What is the primary characteristic of medications termed 'high-alert medications'?

Question 4

What is the purpose of using 'tall man' letters in drug names, such as acetoHEXAMIDE versus acetaZOLAMIDE?

Question 5

Which practice regarding decimal numbers in medication orders is a known cause of massive, ten-fold overdoses?

Question 6

The Latin abbreviation 'QOD' has been frequently misinterpreted, leading to medication errors. What was it often mistaken for?

Question 7

What is a primary prevention strategy a nurse should implement when taking a verbal medication order?

Question 8

What is a key reason for conducting patient education about medications?

Question 9

What action is required by a second practitioner when checking high-alert medications?

Question 10

What type of system-level strategy helps reduce prescribing errors by linking orders to patient-specific data?

Question 12

According to Table 2, what is the recommended practice for the abbreviation 'MS' or 'MSO4'?

Question 13

What is the correct interpretation and recommended action for an order that includes a zero AFTER a decimal point, such as '1.0 mg'?

Question 14

What does the abbreviation 'HCTZ' often get mistaken for, according to Table 2?

Question 15

The use of apothecary measures such as grains and drams is discouraged because they are poorly understood and easily confused with what?

Question 16

A poorly handwritten order for '10 u' of insulin is a common source of error. What is it frequently misread as?

Question 17

According to the text, which of the following is an example of a 'poor drug distribution practice'?

Question 18

What is one of the main problems associated with drug delivery systems like infusion pumps that can lead to errors?

Question 19

If a medication dose ordered requires the use of multiple dosage units (e.g., more than 3 tablets), what is a recommended prevention strategy?

Question 20

What is the key principle behind cultivating a culture that looks for 'root causes' of medication errors?

Question 21

Which drug is NOT listed as a high-alert medication in Table 1?

Question 22

According to Table 2, what is the intended meaning of the abbreviation 'o.d. or OD'?

Question 23

In Table 2, what is the recommendation for the symbol '@'?

Question 24

What is the primary danger of having a drug name and dose run together in an order, such as 'Inderal40 mg'?

Question 25

Why should nurses be cautious about the printing on medication packaging, such as vials and ampules?

Question 26

Which of the following represents a failed communication error due to similar-sounding names?

Question 27

What is the primary risk associated with using an incomplete medication order?

Question 28

The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) has identified how many 'sound-alike, look-alike' drugs?

Question 29

What is the recommended prevention strategy when a nurse receives an order that is not clearly legible?

Question 30

Why is borrowing medication from another patient's supply a dangerous practice?

Question 31

What is the recommended practice for abbreviations such as q.d., QD, q.o.d., and QOD?

Question 32

Which of the following is an example of a human factor that contributes to medication errors?

Question 33

The Joint Commission (TJC) monitors the use of several frequently prescribed high-alert medications. Which of the following is NOT on that specific list mentioned in the text?

Question 34

According to Table 2, what is the problem with using 'cc' for cubic centimeters?

Question 35

What is the recommended safe practice for the abbreviation 'D/C'?

Question 36

What is a major source of dose miscalculation errors?

Question 37

What is the recommended action if a nurse must transcribe a clerk's transcription of a medication order?

Question 38

What is the danger associated with the abbreviation 'TIW'?

Question 39

Which drug from Table 1, a chemotherapeutic agent, is listed as a high-alert medication?

Question 40

What is the recommended way to administer a dose of 'point one mg' to avoid errors?

Question 41

What type of error is associated with misidentifying a patient or using an incorrect route of administration?

Question 42

What is the primary reason to provide standard concentrations and infusion rate tables for high-alert medications?

Question 43

According to Table 2, what is the abbreviation for Zidovudine and what drug is it commonly mistaken for?

Question 44

What is the danger of using the abbreviation 'HS' or 'hs'?

Question 45

When a massive overdose has been administered due to misreading a label, what is a common cause of the error?

Question 46

Which organizational group, along with the IOM and USP, called for the redesign of error-prone systems?

Question 47

What is the recommended final step a nurse should take after writing down a verbal order?

Question 48

According to Table 2, what is the risk of using a slash mark (/) in a medication order?

Question 49

The drug chloral hydrate, listed in Table 1, is an example of what class of high-alert medication?

Question 50

What is the recommended safe practice regarding the abbreviation 'IU' for International Units?