Medication Administration Safety Test
Questions And 100% Correct Answers With
Verified Rationales | Instant Pdf Download
1. What are the “5 Rights” of medication administration?
A. Right patient, drug, dose, route, time
B. Right diagnosis, drug, dose, doctor, time
C. Right patient, disease, chart, nurse, drug
D. Right lab, drug, dose, route, time
Answer: A. Right patient, drug, dose, route, time
Rationale: These are the core safety principles to prevent medication
errors.
2. What is the first action before giving any medication?
A. Identify the patient
B. Crush the tablet
C. Document administration
D. Check vitals after giving
Answer: A. Identify the patient
Rationale: Correct patient identification prevents serious medication
errors.
1
, © 2026/27 Qs & Ans
3. Which two identifiers are standard for patient identification?
A. Name and date of birth
B. Room number and diagnosis
C. Bed number and age
D. Gender and height
Answer: A. Name and date of birth
Rationale: These are unique identifiers used in healthcare settings.
4. What should a nurse do if a medication order is unclear?
A. Clarify with prescriber
B. Guess the dose
C. Administer anyway
D. Ask another nurse to decide
Answer: A. Clarify with prescriber
Rationale: Nurses must never interpret unclear orders independently.
5. What is the safest way to administer oral medications?
A. One pill at a time with water
B. All pills at once dry
C. Crush all medications always
D. Give with juice only
Answer: A. One pill at a time with water
2
, © 2026/27 Qs & Ans
Rationale: Ensures proper swallowing and prevents aspiration.
6. Which action is required before administering insulin?
A. Check blood glucose
B. Give with food regardless
C. Skip assessment
D. Warm insulin in microwave
Answer: A. Check blood glucose
Rationale: Prevents hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia complications.
7. What is the correct action if a patient refuses medication?
A. Document refusal
B. Force medication
C. Hide medication in food
D. Skip documentation
Answer: A. Document refusal
Rationale: Patients have the right to refuse treatment.
8. What is the most common cause of medication errors?
A. Communication failure
B. Patient cooperation
3
, © 2026/27 Qs & Ans
C. Nurse experience
D. Hospital size
Answer: A. Communication failure
Rationale: Miscommunication leads to incorrect medication
administration.
9. Which abbreviation should NEVER be used?
A. U (units)
B. mg
C. mL
D. PO
Answer: A. U (units)
Rationale: Can be misread as zero or 4, causing overdose.
10. What does “PRN” mean?
A. As needed
B. Before meals
C. After meals
D. Once daily
Answer: A. As needed
Rationale: PRN medications are given when necessary.
4