MCQ Flashcards
7 cards from real ISMP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 MCQ flashcards as text
ISMP warns that the abbreviation 'U' for 'units' should never be used because it can be misread as which of the following?
Answer: The number '0' or '4', potentially causing a tenfold overdose
ISMP's 'Do Not Use' list includes 'U' for units because it is frequently misread as '0' or '4', resulting in tenfold or fourfold overdoses, particularly with insulin.
Which of the following is the correct ISMP-recommended way to express a morphine dose of half a milligram?
Answer: 0.5 mg
ISMP requires a leading zero before the decimal point (0.5 mg) to prevent misreading '.5 mg' as '5 mg' if the decimal point is not seen.
A patient receives chemotherapy in the outpatient oncology clinic. ISMP recommends which of the following as a critical safety check unique to chemotherapy?
Answer: Requiring a pharmacist, nurse, and physician triple-check with protocol comparison before administration
ISMP mandates multi-disciplinary triple-checks comparing each chemotherapy order against the approved protocol because dosing errors are frequently fatal.
Which patient population does ISMP specifically call out as being at highest risk for medication errors due to polypharmacy?
Answer: Older adults (65 years and older)
ISMP highlights older adults as especially vulnerable to medication errors due to polypharmacy, altered pharmacokinetics, and multiple prescribers.
According to ISMP, which is the safest way to communicate a medication dose change during patient handoff?
Answer: Documentation in the electronic health record with verbal read-back confirmation
ISMP recommends structured written documentation in the EHR combined with verbal read-back to ensure accurate communication of medication changes during handoff.
ISMP's MERP (Medication Error Reporting Program) reports errors to which partner organization for broader dissemination and prevention?
Answer: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
ISMP's MERP partners with the FDA to share medication error reports, enabling regulatory actions such as drug name changes, label revisions, and public safety alerts.
A nurse finds a medication vial labeled '1 mg/mL' but the order reads '1 mg.' How many mL should be administered, and what ISMP principle applies?
Answer: 1 mL; confirm by calculating dose ÷ concentration and verifying with a second clinician
ISMP requires dose calculation verification (dose ÷ concentration = volume) and recommends independent double-checks for high-alert medications to catch calculation errors.