ATI LPN
ATI LPN Pharmacology Exam I Questions
Extract:
Question 1 of 5
A hospitalized 3-year-old toddler is to receive an oral medication. For the most effective approach, the nurse should tell the child:
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Promising instant relief is misleading; most drugs take time, and false expectations may erode trust, reducing cooperation in a toddler's care. Calling it candy is unethical; it risks future candy confusion with drugs, potentially leading to accidental ingestion, unsafe for a 3-year-old. Confident explanation suits a toddler's understanding; it builds trust, reduces fear, and ensures cooperation by clearly stating purpose and process age-appropriately. Firm insistence may scare a toddler; without explanation, it lacks reassurance, potentially increasing resistance and distress during medication administration.
Question 2 of 5
Which patient would be a candidate for animal-assisted therapy?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Bone marrow transplant patients are immunocompromised; animals pose infection risks (e.g., zoonotic bacteria), making therapy contraindicated in this sterile setting. C. difficile is contagious; animal-assisted therapy risks cross-contamination via fur or handlers, endangering the patient and facility, ruling out this option. Acute asthma with dyspnea may worsen with animal dander triggering allergies or bronchospasm; therapy could exacerbate respiratory distress, making it unsuitable. Alzheimer's patients benefit from animal therapy; it reduces agitation and boosts mood via oxytocin release, with no acute infection or allergy barriers.
Question 3 of 5
The patient's respirations dropped from 14 breaths/minute to 8 breaths/minute after receiving a large dose of morphine. Which term accurately describes the patient's reaction to the morphine?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Respiratory depression from high morphine doses signals toxicity; opioids suppress the brainstem's respiratory center, exceeding safe therapeutic levels at this extent. Allergic reactions involve immunity (e.g., rash, anaphylaxis); slowed breathing isn't allergic, but a dose-dependent opioid effect on respiration. Idiosyncratic means unexpected (e.g., paradoxical excitement); respiratory depression is a predictable morphine overdose sign, not an unusual reaction. Therapeutic effects relieve pain; 8 breaths/minute is dangerously low, beyond intended analgesia, indicating a harmful, not beneficial, outcome.
Question 4 of 5
In addition to the dorsogluteal and ventrogluteal muscles, which of these sites can safely be used for intramuscular injections?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Deltoid and vastus lateralis are large muscles with good vascularity; they safely absorb IM injections, minimizing nerve damage or tissue irritation risks. Chest and abdomen lack sufficient muscle mass for IM; these are subcutaneous or IV sites, risking poor absorption or injury if used intramuscularly. Forearm and scapula are too thin or bony; IM injections here risk nerve or bone damage, lacking the muscle bulk needed for safe drug delivery. Lower leg (e.g., calf) has small muscles and major vessels; IM use risks vascular injury or slow absorption, making it an unsafe injection site.
Question 5 of 5
A primary health-care provider prescribes a medication that must be administered transdermal. Which information about the route of administration does the nurse understand is related to a drug prescribed to be administered transdermal?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Inhalation targets lungs; transdermal means skin absorption, not respiratory, and this route doesn't match the prescribed method's pharmacokinetic profile. Transdermal drugs absorb through skin layers; this delivers medication systemically via dermal capillaries, bypassing first-pass metabolism, as intended by the order. Rectal administration uses suppositories; transdermal is skin-based, not mucosal, and this route doesn't align with the prescribed absorption method. Sublingual dissolves under the tongue; transdermal is cutaneous, not oral, and this differs entirely from the skin-based delivery system specified.