PHARMACOLOGY PRACTICE QUESTIONS
NUR 110
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
A Client with a Head Injury
1. The client with a head injury is experiencing increased intracranial pressure. The neurosurgeon
prescribes the osmotic diuretic mannitol (Osmitrol). Which intervention should the nurse implement when
administering this medication?
1. Monitor the client’s arterial blood gases during administration.
2. Do not administer if the client’s blood pressure is less than 90/60.
3. Ensure that the client’s cardiac status is monitored by telemetry.
4. Use a filter needle when administering the medication.
2. The client with increased intracranial pressure is receiving the osmotic diuretic mannitol (Osmitrol).
Which data would cause the nurse to hold the administration of this medication?
1. The serum osmolality is 330 mOsm/kg.
2. The urine osmolality is 550 mOsm/kg.
3. The acetone level is 1.5 mg/dL.
4. The creatinine level is 1.8 mg/dL.
3. Which discharge instruction should the emergency room nurse discuss with the client that has sustained a
concussion and is being discharged home?
1. Do not take any type of medication for at least 48 hours.
2. Take two acetaminophen (Tylenol) up to every 4 hours for a headache.
3. If experiencing a headache, take one hydrocodone (Vicodin) every 8 hours.
4. It is all right to take a couple of aspirin if experiencing a headache.
4. All the following clients have a head injury. Which client would the nurse question administering the
osmotic diuretic mannitol (Osmitrol)?
1. The 34-year-old client who is HIV positive.
2. The 84-year-old client who has glaucoma.
3. The 68-year-old client who has cor pulmonale.
4. The 16-year-old client who has cystic fibrosis.
5. The client has an open laceration on the right temporal lobe secondary to being hit on the head with a
baseball bat. The emergency department physician sutures the laceration and the CT scan is negative.
Which instruction should the nurse discuss with the client?
1. Do not put anything on the laceration for 72 hours.
2. Use hydrocortisone cream 0.5% on the laceration.
3. Cleanse the area with alcohol three times a day.
4. Apply Neosporin ointment to the sutured area.
6. The client with a head injury is ordered a CT scan of the head with contrast dye. Which statement by the
client would warrant immediate intervention?
1. “I take medication for my hypertension.”
2. “I am allergic to many types of fish.”
3. “I get nauseated whenever I take aspirin.”
4. “I had about three beers before I fell and hit my head.”
7. The nurse is preparing to administer medications to the following clients. Which medication would the
nurse question administering?
1. The loop diuretic furosemide (Lasix) to a client with a serum potassium level of 4.2 mEq/L.
2. The osmotic diuretic mannitol (Osmitrol) to a client with a serum osmolality of 280 mOsm/kg.
3. The cardiac glycoside digoxin (Lanoxin) to a client with a digoxin level of 2.4 mg/dL.
4. The anticonvulsant phenytoin (Dilantin) to a client with a Dilantin level of 14 ’g/mL.
8. The client with a head injury is admitted into the intensive care unit (ICU). Which health-care provider
medication order would the ICU nurse question?
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