MACE - Medication Aide Certification Examination Medical Terminology and Abbreviations Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A medication order for a resident reads: "Administer one tablet QID." How should the Medication Aide interpret this frequency?
- Every other day
- Three times a day
- At bedtime
- Four times a day (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Four times a day
The abbreviation "QID" comes from the Latin phrase "quater in die," which translates to "four times a day." This is a standard medical abbreviation indicating the frequency of medication administration.
Question 2: A resident's care plan notes that they have dysphagia and require their pills to be administered with a thickening agent. This medical term indicates the resident has difficulty with which of the following?
- Breathing
- Swallowing (Correct answer)
- Hearing
- Seeing
Correct answer: Swallowing
Dysphagia is the medical term for difficulty swallowing. This condition requires special care when administering oral medications to prevent choking and aspiration.
Question 3: A supervising nurse points out a handwritten medication order to a new Medication Aide and states that one of the abbreviations used should be avoided. Which of the following is on The Joint Commission's official "Do Not Use" list due to its high risk of being misinterpreted?
- mL (for milliliter)
- PO (for by mouth)
- U (for unit) (Correct answer)
- mg (for milligram)
Correct answer: U (for unit)
The abbreviation "U" for unit is on The Joint Commission's "Do Not Use" list because it can be easily mistaken for a zero (0), the number four (4), or "cc" when handwritten, leading to significant dosing errors. The word "unit" should always be written out.
Question 4: A medication is described as being potentially "nephrotoxic." This means the medication could cause damage to which organ?
- Kidneys (Correct answer)
- Liver
- Heart
- Lungs
Correct answer: Kidneys
The term nephrotoxic means poisonous or toxic to the kidneys. The root word "nephro-" refers to the kidney. It is crucial for a Medication Aide to be aware of such potential effects to observe for signs of kidney dysfunction.
Question 5: A medication order for eye drops states: "Instill 1 gtt OD BID". How should the Medication Aide interpret these instructions?
- Instill 1 drop into the left ear twice a day
- Instill 1 drop into the right eye twice a day (Correct answer)
- Apply 1 gram to the skin once a day
- Give 1 tablet by mouth twice a day
Correct answer: Instill 1 drop into the right eye twice a day
Breaking down the abbreviations: "gtt" is Latin for 'guttae' meaning drop(s); "OD" is Latin for 'oculus dexter' meaning right eye; and "BID" is Latin for 'bis in die' meaning twice a day. Therefore, the instruction is to instill one drop into the right eye twice daily.
Question 6: A resident is documented as experiencing "myalgia" as a side effect of a new medication. The suffix "-algia" indicates the resident is experiencing which of the following?
- Inflammation
- A rash
- Paralysis
- Pain (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Pain
The medical suffix "-algia" means pain. For example, neuralgia is nerve pain, and arthralgia is joint pain. In this case, myalgia refers to muscle pain.
MACE - Medication Aide Certification Examination Medical Terminology and Abbreviations Questions and Answers 1
A medication order for a resident reads: "Administer one tablet QID." How should the Medication Aide interpret this frequency?