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.

Answer and Explanation

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.

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Correct Answer is C

Explanation

Choice A reason: Toxic effects involve overdose symptoms like coma; staying awake isn’t toxicity, as Nembutal’s sedative intent is reversed, not exaggerated, in this reaction.

Choice B reason: Drug allergy causes immune responses (e.g., rash); insomnia isn’t allergic, but a paradoxical effect, differing from hypersensitivity reactions entirely.

Choice C reason: Idiosyncrasy is an unexpected reaction; Nembutal, a barbiturate, should sedate, but wakefulness is an abnormal, individual response, fitting this category precisely.

Choice D reason: Tolerance reduces efficacy over time; this acute, opposite reaction to a sedative isn’t tolerance, but an immediate, unpredictable drug response.

A. The patient does not have enough body fat to give the medication subcutaneously. B. Intramuscular injections require smaller needles than subcutaneous injections. C. The medication will be absorbed and begin to work more quickly when given IM. D. Intramuscular injections are preferred for patients with a high risk of bleeding.

Correct Answer is C

Explanation

Choice A reason: Body fat levels influence subcutaneous absorption but are not the primary reason for choosing IM over SC injection in this scenario.

Choice B reason: Needle size varies by medication and patient factors, but this is not the defining reason for selecting IM over SC injection.

Choice C reason: IM injections deliver medication directly to muscle tissue with a rich vascular supply, ensuring faster absorption and onset compared to subcutaneous administration.

Choice D reason: IM injections are not inherently safer for patients at risk of bleeding; they carry similar risks and require proper assessment before administration.

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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?

Nursing Test Bank

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

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Correct Answer is C

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