The nurse is caring for a client who has difficulty swallowing a large tablet of a prescribed drug. What action should the nurse take first?
Consult with the client's health care provider.
Administer the liquid form of the drug.
Administer the parenteral form of the drug.
Crush the tablet before administration.
The Correct Answer is A
Choice A reason: Consulting ensures safety; not all drugs can be altered, and the provider adjusts the order, preventing errors in bioavailability or efficacy.
Choice B reason: Liquid may work, but without approval, it’s unauthorized; some drugs lack liquid forms, and this bypasses necessary prescriber oversight.
Choice C reason: Parenteral needs an order change; administering without it violates scope, and it’s invasive, escalating care unnecessarily as a first step.
Choice D reason: Crushing alters pharmacokinetics; many tablets (e.g., extended-release) can’t be crushed, and doing so without checking risks toxicity or inefficacy.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
Choice A reason: PRN is as needed; EKGs here are routine, not symptom-driven, making this inapplicable to a standard admission protocol for all patients.
Choice B reason: One-time is a single event; this order applies to all admissions ongoing, not a one-off, distinguishing it from limited-duration directives.
Choice C reason: STAT is immediate; routine EKGs aren’t urgent, occurring as part of standard care, not requiring the priority of acute intervention orders.
Choice D reason: Standing orders apply automatically to all qualifying patients; this EKG protocol fits, ensuring consistent cardiac assessment unless overridden.
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A reason: Lungs excrete volatile drugs like anesthetics; most medications aren’t metabolized here, as they lack the cytochrome enzymes needed for broad drug breakdown.
Choice B reason: The liver is the primary site; cytochrome P450 enzymes metabolize most drugs, converting them into active or excretable forms, critical for pharmacokinetics.
Choice C reason: Kidneys excrete metabolites; they filter, not metabolize, most drugs, relying on prior liver processing, making them secondary in the metabolic pathway.
Choice D reason: The colon absorbs some drugs but doesn’t metabolize most; its role is minimal compared to the liver’s extensive enzymatic drug transformation capacity.
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