Class 7

Question 1

Question: What is the purpose of the “checking” process in medication administration?

Answer 1

Answer: The purpose of checking is to compare the selected medication with the order or requisition sheet to ensure accuracy, preventing errors that can lead to serious consequences such as patient harm or extended hospital stays.

Question 2

Question: What can medication errors lead to?

Answer 2

Answer: Medication errors can lead to patient harm, longer hospital stays, and unnecessary costs.

Question 3

Question: What are some common causes of medication errors?

Answer 3

Answer:

• Rushing
• Being stressed, overworked, or tired
• Making assumptions (recognizing products without reading the label)
• Carelessness
• Distractions (e.g., talking while working)

Question 4

Question: Why should pharmacy assistants and technicians perform a “double check”?

Answer 4

Answer: To minimize errors by having another staff member review medications, ensuring accuracy in medication dispensing.

Question 5

Question: What is an important responsibility for pharmacy assistants and technicians regarding errors?

Answer 5

Answer: Pharmacy assistants and technicians need to understand the importance of minimizing errors by thoroughly checking medications and avoiding common mistakes.

Question 6

Question: What four aspects should be verified when checking medications?

Answer 6

Answer:

1. Drug name
2. Drug strength
3. Dosage form
4. Quantity

Question 7

Question: What three factors should be checked to ensure the product’s integrity?

Answer 7

Answer:

1. Expiration date
2. Product intactness (no chips or tears in packaging)
3. Correct storage conditions

Question 8

Question: What is the purpose of the Eight Rights of Medication Administration?

Answer 8

Answer: These guidelines help prevent medication errors during prescription filling and ensure safe and accurate medication administration.

Question 9

Question: What is the Right Patient in medication administration?

Answer 9

Answer: Verify the patient name before dispensing the medication.

Question 10

Question: What is the Right Drug in medication administration?

Answer 10

Answer: Compare the drug with the prescription and the patient’s condition to ensure accuracy.

Question 11

Question: What is the Right Strength in medication administration?

Answer 11

Answer: Ensure that the dosage matches the prescription instructions.

Question 12

Question: What is the Right Route in medication administration?

Answer 12

Answer: Verify that the drug’s specified route of administration matches the physician’s order.

Question 13

Question: What is the Right Time/Frequency in medication administration?

Answer 13

Answer: Confirm the prescribed schedule for the medication, including any instructions about taking it with or without food.

Question 14

Question: What are five responsibilities of pharmacy staff in ensuring the Eight Rights?

Answer 14

Answer:

1. Provide properly labeled medications.
2. Deliver medications on time.
3. Ensure medications are sent to the correct location.
4. Store medications appropriately.
5. Request double-checks for accuracy.

Question 15

Question: How many times should the product label be read to reduce errors when selecting medications?

Answer 15

Answer: The product label should be read three times:

1. When selecting the product
2. During preparation
3. When returning the product to stock

Question 16

Question: What are two reasons why medication errors occur?

Answer 16

Answer:

1. Similar labels and packaging
2. Medications that look or sound alike

Question 17

Question: Can automated systems prevent all medication errors?

Answer 17

Answer: No, automated systems can reduce errors but are not foolproof. Care and attention are still required.

Question 18

Question: What is confirmation bias in the context of medication selection?

Answer 18

Answer: Confirmation bias occurs when pharmacy or nursing staff mistakenly confirm a selection without fully verifying it, believing they have found the correct item based on what they were expecting.

Question 19

Question: Name five strategies to prevent medication errors.

Answer 19

Answer:

1. Separate look-alike and sound-alike drugs.
2. Highlight labels.
3. Use alerts (system and shelf-based).
4. Avoid assumptions and read labels thoroughly.
5. Use Tall Man Lettering to distinguish similar drug names (e.g., hydrOXYzine vs. hydrALAzine).

Question 20

Question: What can happen when pharmacy staff lose focus on their tasks?

Answer 20

Answer: Losing focus can lead to errors that put patients at risk.

Question 21

Question: What is “drifting” in the context of pharmacy safety procedures?

Answer 21

Answer: Drifting occurs when individuals neglect safety procedures over time, transitioning from safe practices to unsafe shortcuts.

Question 22

Question: Why is it important for pharmacy assistants and technicians to reflect on safety protocols regularly?

Answer 22

Answer: Reflecting on safety protocols helps maintain patient safety by reinforcing the importance of following established procedures.

Question 23

Question: How can multitasking lead to medication errors?

Answer 23

Answer: Multitasking can cause confusion or mix-ups with drug strengths or labels, leading to errors.

Question 24

Question: How can overconfidence result in medication errors?

Answer 24

Answer: Overconfidence may lead to skipping crucial steps like double-checking, which increases the risk of errors.

Question 25

**Question:** How can over-reliance on computer systems contribute to medication errors?

Answer 25

**Answer:** Relying too heavily on computer systems can prevent staff from detecting errors, especially if they fail to verify information manually.

Question 26

**Question:** Why is seeking help important in preventing errors?

Answer 26

**Answer:** Failure to seek help when needed can lead to errors, as individuals may overlook mistakes that could be caught by another person.

Question 27

**Question:** How can deviating from established policies and procedures lead to errors?

Answer 27

**Answer:** Policies and procedures exist to prevent errors. Deviating from them increases the likelihood of mistakes and compromises patient safety.

Question 28

**Question:** How can general carelessness affect medication accuracy?

Answer 28

**Answer:** Carelessness can result in errors, as important details may be overlooked, endangering patients.

Question 29

**Question:** What can happen when pharmacy staff lose focus on their tasks?

Answer 29

**Answer:** Losing focus can lead to errors that put patients at risk.

Question 30

**Question:** What is "drifting" in the context of pharmacy safety procedures?

Answer 30

**Answer:** Drifting occurs when individuals neglect safety procedures over time, transitioning from safe practices to unsafe shortcuts.

Question 31

**Question:** Why is it important for pharmacy assistants and technicians to reflect on safety protocols regularly?

Answer 31

**Answer:** Reflecting on safety protocols helps maintain patient safety by reinforcing the importance of following established procedures.

Question 32

**Question:** How can multitasking lead to medication errors?

Answer 32

**Answer:** Multitasking can cause confusion or mix-ups with drug strengths or labels, leading to errors.

Question 33

**Question:** How can overconfidence result in medication errors?

Answer 33

**Answer:** Overconfidence may lead to skipping crucial steps like double-checking, which increases the risk of errors.

Question 34

**Question:** How can over-reliance on computer systems contribute to medication errors?

Answer 34

**Answer:** Relying too heavily on computer systems can prevent staff from detecting errors, especially if they fail to verify information manually.

Question 35

**Question:** Why is seeking help important in preventing errors?

Answer 35

**Answer:** Failure to seek help when needed can lead to errors, as individuals may overlook mistakes that could be caught by another person.

Question 36

**Question:** How can deviating from established policies and procedures lead to errors?

Answer 36

**Answer:** Policies and procedures exist to prevent errors. Deviating from them increases the likelihood of mistakes and compromises patient safety.

Question 37

**Question:** How can general carelessness affect medication accuracy?

Answer 37

**Answer:** Carelessness can result in errors, as important details may be overlooked, endangering patients.

Question 38

**Question:** What does the checking process involve in medication administration?

Answer 38

**Answer:** It involves comparing the picked medication with an order to ensure accuracy.

Question 39

**Question:** What are potential consequences of medication errors?

Answer 39

**Answer:** Medication errors can lead to patient harm, extended hospital stays, and increased healthcare costs.

Question 40

**Question:** According to the 2004 Canadian Adverse Events Study, what percentage of hospitalized adults experience adverse events?

Answer 40

**Answer:** 7.5% of hospitalized adults experience adverse events.

Question 41

**Question:** How many annual deaths in Canada are linked to adverse events according to the 2004 study?

Answer 41

**Answer:** Approximately 24,000 deaths annually are linked to adverse events in Canada.

Question 42

**Question:** What percentage of adverse events in hospitals relate to medication or fluid administration?

Answer 42

**Answer:** 25% of adverse events relate to medication or fluid administration.

Question 43

**Question:** What percentage of medication errors are caused by prescribing errors?

Answer 43

**Answer:** 39% of medication errors are due to prescribing errors.

Question 44

**Question:** What are common causes of prescribing errors?

Answer 44

**Answer:** 1. Inadequate drug or patient-specific knowledge 2. Poor handwriting

Question 45

**Question:** What percentage of errors come from dispensing and administration mistakes?

Answer 45

**Answer:** 61% of errors result from dispensing and administration mistakes.

Question 46

**Question:** What are the main types of dispensing and administration errors?

Answer 46

**Answer:** 1. Wrong drug (50%) 2. Wrong strength (27%) 3. Incorrect labeling (8%)

Question 47

**Question:** What is confirmation bias, and how does it contribute to medication errors?

Answer 47

**Answer:** Confirmation bias occurs when staff stop searching for verification after finding what they expect, which can lead to errors.

Question 48

**Question:** How do abbreviations contribute to medication errors?

Answer 48

**Answer:** Abbreviations can be easily misinterpreted, increasing the risk of errors.

Question 49

**Question:** How are look-alike and sound-alike medications addressed to prevent errors?

Answer 49

**Answer:** They are addressed through **TALL Man** lettering, which highlights distinct parts of drug names to minimize confusion.

Question 50

**Question:** What is root cause analysis in error prevention?

Answer 50

**Answer:** Root cause analysis identifies key causes of incidents by addressing: 1. What happened? 2. Why it happened? 3. How to prevent recurrence?

Question 51

**Question:** What are the responsibilities of pharmacy assistants in error prevention?

Answer 51

**Answer:** 1. Follow policies and procedures. 2. Report hazards. 3. Participate in root cause analysis.

Question 52

**Question:** What is a **forcing function**, and how does it reduce errors?

Answer 52

**Answer:** A forcing function ensures that certain steps must be completed before moving on to the next step, preventing errors due to skipped tasks.

Question 53

**Question:** How does automation help prevent medication errors?

Answer 53

**Answer:** Automation, such as e-prescribing and automated dispensing machines, reduces manual errors by streamlining and verifying processes electronically.

Question 54

**Question:** What is standardization, and how can it reduce errors?

Answer 54

**Answer:** Standardization involves mapping and simplifying processes to reduce variability and potential mistakes in medication handling.

Question 55

**Question:** Why are reminders, checklists, and double-checks important in preventing errors?

Answer 55

**Answer:** They provide independent verification, helping to reduce confirmation bias and ensure accuracy throughout the medication process.

Question 56

**Question:** What are the Five Rights of Checking in medication administration?

Answer 56

**Answer:** 1. Right patient 2. Right drug 3. Right strength 4. Right route 5. Right time

Question 57

**Question:** What are key compliance practices for rules and policies?

Answer 57

**Answer:** 1. Read labels thoroughly. 2. Ask for clarification when needed. 3. Avoid skipping checks or omitting communication.

Question 58

**Question:** What is process drift, and how can it lead to errors?

Answer 58

**Answer:** Process drift occurs when safety procedures are neglected due to overconfidence or complacency, leading to skipped steps and errors.

Question 59

**Question:** How can pharmacy assistants prevent process drift?

Answer 59

**Answer:** By maintaining awareness of safety processes and consistently following protocols without skipping steps.

Question 60

**Question:** Why is ongoing education important for pharmacy assistants?

Answer 60

**Answer:** Continuous training and assessments, along with the use of manuals and checklists, help ensure up-to-date knowledge and adherence to safety protocols.