Pharmacology Reviewer

Module 1
1. The nurse assigned in the radiology department administers
iodine to a patient who is scheduled for
computed tomography (CT) scan. Another nurse working on
the oncology unit administers chemotherapy
to patients who have cancer. At the Rural Health Unit a nurse
administers a measles vaccine to a 12-
month-old child as a routine immunization. Which branch of
pharmacology best describes the actions of
all these three nurses?
A. Pharmacoeconomics
B. Pharmacotherapeutics
C. Pharmacodynamics
D. Pharmacokinetics
2. A physician ordered intramuscular (IM) administration of
morphine, a narcotic, every 6 hours as needed
for pain to a patient who has sustained lower extremity injury
because of vehicular accident. The nurse is
aware this drug has a high abuse potential. Morphine is
classified under which category?
A. Schedule I
B. Schedule II
C. Schedule III
D. Schedule IV
3. The rate of absorption of drugs can change when two drugs
are taken at the same time. The nurse is aware that the rate of
absorption can be changed by which actions? Select all that
apply.
A. Altering gastric emptying time
B. Changing gastric pH
C. Decreasing inflammation
D. Eating too slowly
4. A client asks the nurse about the drug qualities that
determine the category in which a drug is placed. What
is the nurse’s best response? Select all that apply.
A. “Drugs that are in clinical trials”
B. “Drugs judged to be both safe and effective”
C. “Drugs judged to be either unsafe or ineffective”
D. “Drugs with insufficient data to judge safety or efficacy”
5. The nurse is meeting a group of mother about medication
safety. The nurse must emphasize that clients at high risk for
drug interactions include which groups? Select all that apply.
A. Older patients
B. Patients with chronic health conditions such as diabetes or
renal failure
C. Patients taking several drugs
D. Patients dealing with only one pharmacy
E. Patients covered by health insurances
6. The nurse recognizes that when a patient takes a hepatic
enzyme inducer, the dose of the warfarin (anticoagulant or
blood thinner) is usually modified in which way?
A. It is increased.
B. It is decreased.
C. It remains the same.
D. It is unpredictable.
7. The nurse is describing to a patient the synergistic effects of
two of his medications. Which statement by the nurse is true
about synergistic drug effects?
A. “Two drugs have antagonistic effects on each other.”
B. “The action of a drug is nullified by another drug.”
C. “One drug acts as an antidote to the side effects of another
drug.”
D. “A greater effect is achieved when two drugs are combined.”
8. A patient asks the nurse about cautions related to use of OTC
medications. Which of the following is correct for the nurse to
say? Select all that apply.
A. “Over-the-counter drugs may delay professional diagnosis.”
B. “They may mask symptoms.”
C. “They may make diagnosis easier.”
D. “Their inactive ingredients may cause adverse reactions.”
E. “They may be more expensive.”
9. A patient asks the nurse about drug interactions with OTC
preparations. Which of the following statements
is a correct response of the nurse?
A. “Discuss this with the health care provider.”
B. “Seldom with there be drug interaction with the use of OTC
drugs, so don’t worry about it.”
C. “Read the labels carefully, and check with your health care
provider.”
D. “Never take over-the-counter preparations”
10. Which components of pharmacokinetics does the nurse
need to understand before administering a drug?
Select all that apply.
A. All oral drugs are dissolved through the process of
pinocytosis.
B. Patients with kidney disease may have fewer protein binding
sites and are at risk for drug toxicity.
C. Rapid absorption decreases the bioavailability of the drug.
D. When the drug metabolism rate is decreased, excess drug
accumulation can occur, which can cause toxicity.
11. The nurse will question the health care provider if a drug
with a half-life (t 1/2) of more than 24 hours is ordered to be
given more than how often?
A. Once daily
B. Three times a day
C. Twice weekly
D. Once weekly
12. The nurse is explaining drug action to a student nurse.
Which statement made by the nurse is true?
A. “Water-soluble and ionized drugs are quickly absorbed.”
B. “A drug not bound to protein is an active drug.”
C. “Most receptors are found under the cell membrane.”
D. “Toxic effects can result if the trough level is low.”
13. The nurse anticipates that the health care provider will
order which laboratory test for an older adult
client with renal dysfunction?
A. Blood Urea Nitrogen
B. Creatinine clearance
C. Glomerular filtration rate
D. Urine specific gravity
14. When reviewing the patient’s medication regimen, Nurse
Cammy understands that the interval of drug
dosage is related to which of the following
A. Half-life
B. Stimulation of receptors
C. Therapeutic index
D. Trough level
15. Which nursing assessment(s) will the nurse include when
she is developing a patient medication plan?
Select all that apply.
A. Check peak and trough levels of drugs.
B. Check the drug literature for the protein-binding percentage
of a drug.
C. Identify side effects of drugs that are nonspecific.
D. Evaluate the patient’s reaction to a drug.
E. To enhance absorption, advise the patient to crush an
enteric-coated tablet before taking.
16. A student nurse is studying the phases of drug action.
Which statement by the student nurse indicates to
the nursing instructor that the student understands the
pharmaceutic phase?
A. “To achieve drug action, drugs are moved by four
processes.”
B. “For the drug to cross the biologic membrane, the drug
becomes a solution.”
C. “In this phase, drugs are concentrated and a biologic or
physiologic response occurs.”
D. “The pharmaceutic phase is the process by which the drug
becomes available to body fluids and
tissue.”
17. The nurse knows the importance of administering the right
medication to the patient and that drugs have many names.
Following the law in the Philippines, the physician should
prepare a prescription utilizing which of the following names of
drug?
A. Generic
B. Brand
C. Trade
D. Chemical
18. A researcher is attempting to develop a cholinomimetic
agent to use in patients with colonic motility syndrome. This
agent will serve as a procolonic agent by increasing muscular
contractions in the sigmoid colon and rectum. The medication
is known as Drug 143. The medication is administered in a 100
mg daily dose orally and 50 mg of the drug is absorbed from
the gastrointestinal tract unchanged. Thus, the bioavailability of
this drug is
A. 50%
B. 70%
C. 80%
D. 85%
E. 95%
19. A 19-year-old pregnant woman asks her doctor what she
can do about her skin blemishes. The doctor prescribes a
topical benzoyl peroxide preparation, but the patient is not
satisfied with the results. She has a close friend taking
isotretinoin for acne control, and her friend often tells her how
well it works. She begins taking her friend’s pills and is pleased
with the reduction in her acne. In which FDA Pregnancy
Category does this drug belong?
A. Category A
B. Category B
C. Category C
D. Category D
E. Category X
22. The student nurse checks a drug reference book or
pamphlet to obtain pertinent data. Which data should
the nurse note? Select all that apply.
A. Half-life
B. Maximum effective concentration
C. Protein-binding effect
D. Therapeutic range
23. Which type of physiologic effect is not related to the
desired effect and is predictable or associated with
the use of a specific drug?
A. Severe adverse reactions
B. Side effects
C. Synergistic effects
D. Toxic effects
24. The nurse is giving a large initial dose of a ceftriaxone
(antibiotic) to rapidly achieve minimum effective
concentration in the plasma. Which of the following is the type
of dosage that the nurse has done?
A. Therapeutic dose
B. Toxic dose
C. Loading dose
D. Peak dose
25. A time-response curve evaluates parameters of a drug’s
action. Which parameter(s) is/are part of the
time-response curve? Select all that apply.
A. Duration of action
B. Onset of action
C. Peak action
D. Minimum effective concentration
26. Which intervention(s) regarding drug therapy should the
nurse implement? Select all that apply.
A. Check reference books or drug inserts before administering
the medication
B. Teach the patient to wait one week after appearance of side
effects to see if they disappear
C. Check the patient’s serum therapeutic range of drugs that
have a narrow therapeutic range
D. Evaluate peak and trough levels prior to administering the
medication
27. The patient asks the nurse why generic drugs would be
used and states her concerns that only the brand name product
will be safe. Which of the following is the best response of the
nurse?
A. Generic drugs are often less expensive.
B. Some quality control problems have been found with generic
drugs.
C. Many generic drugs are very safe and can be cost effective as
well.
D. Although initial cost is higher for a brand name it may cost
less in the long run.
28. The nurse assesses hives (outbreak of swollen, pale red
bumps or plaques (wheals) on the skin that appear suddenly as
a result of allergic reaction) in a patient started on a new
medication. Which of the following is a priority action of the
nurse?
A. Notify physician of allergic reaction.
B. Notify physician of idiosyncratic reaction.
C. Notify physician of potential teratogenicity.
D. Notify physician of potential tolerance.
29. The nurse administers an initial dose of a steroid (anti-
inflammatory) to a patient with asthma. Thirty minutes after
administration, the nurse finds the patient agitated and stating
that everyone is out to get me. This unusual reaction is termed
as:
A. Desired action
B. Adverse effect
C. Idiosyncratic reaction
D. Allergic reaction
30. Which is the best description of when drug interactions
occur?
A. On administration of toxic dosages of a drug
B. On an increase in the pharmacodynamics of bound drugs
C. On the alteration of the effect of one drug by another drug
D. On increase of drug excretion

Module 2
C 16. Right route A. Measurement of a patient’s apical
pulse
F 17. Right patient B. Amount of medication given as
prescribed
J 18. Right time C. Medication given IM as prescribed
I 19. Right documentation D. Teaching a patient about
possible side effects of the medication
A 20. Right assessment E. The patient refuses to take
medication
H21. Right drug F. Verification of patient ID
B 22. Right dose G. Nurse charts that patient pain was
decreased after drug administration
D 23. Right to education H. Patient receives the prescribed
medication
E 24. Right to refuse I. Nurse checks blood pressure
following blood pressure medication administration
G25. Right evaluation J. Drug given at the time prescribed

Module 3A
False 1. Patients should take antibiotics as prescribed so they
do not become resistant to antibiotics
True 2. Broad spectrum antibiotics kill more microbes than
narrow spectrum antibiotics which increase the
nutrient available for resistant microbes, thus promoting
resistant microbe reproduction.
False 3. Narrow spectrum antibiotics can promote overgrowth
of normal flora that possess mechanisms for
resistance.
False 4. Infants do not have a developed blood brain barrier
and drugs can enter the CNS more readily than in
a child or adult.
False 5. Frequent dosing is required for antibiotics that have
longer half-life so as to maintain the drug serum
concentration above the minimum effective concentration.

6. Which part of the bacterial cell is not present in human cell?

A. Ribosomes
B. Centrioles
C. Cell Wall
D. Cell membrane
7. Vancomycin is the treatment of choice for MRSA. What is its
mechanism of action?
A. Inhibition of bacterial cell-wall synthesis,
B. Alteration of membrane permeability,
C. Inhibition of protein synthesis,
D. Inhibition of the synthesis of bacterial ribonucleic acid (RNA)
and deoxyribonucleic acid
(DNA),
E. Interference with metabolism within the cell
8. Ruby is diagnosed to have rheumatic heart disease. She was
given penicillin which she needs to take for a long period of
time. This is an example of what use of antibiotic?
A. Nutritive
B. Supplemental
C. Prophylaxis
D. Replacement
9. Selection of antimicrobial agent is based on all of the
following, EXCEPT:
A. Age of the patient
B. Financial capability of the family
C. Possibility of toxicity
D. Location of the infection
10. What is the primary role of the nurse in antibiotic therapy
to prevent drug misuse?
A. Health education on the proper use
B. Promote the use of any antibiotic whenever the patient is
not feeling well
C. Encourage to use antibacterial for all types of infection
D. Instruct the family that it is better to use higher doses of
antibiotic than lower doses.