Classifying prescription discrepancies

PTCB PTCE
Patient Safety and Quality Assurance
Matrix
Difficulty 3 of 5

Question

A pharmacy technician compares transmitted orders with the prescriber’s documented intent. Classify the field containing the discrepancy in each order.

Row	Medication	Dose	Route	Frequency
The drug name differs from the intended drug.	✓ Correct	Not correct	Not correct	Not correct
The quantity per administration differs from the intended dose.	Not correct	✓ Correct	Not correct	Not correct
The administration route differs from the intended route.	Not correct	Not correct	✓ Correct	Not correct
The number of administrations per day differs from the intended schedule.	Not correct	Not correct	Not correct	✓ Correct

Answer

The drug name differs from the intended drug.: Medication · The quantity per administration differs from the intended dose.: Dose · The administration route differs from the intended route.: Route · The number of administrations per day differs from the intended schedule.: Frequency

Rationale

Prescribing mistakes can appear in several distinct fields. The field that differs from the intended order determines the classification.

RememberClassify a prescribing discrepancy by the field that differs.

Sources

Sources marked “Adapted from” are licensed under CC BY 4.0. We changed the material: its facts are rewritten into an original question, answer options and rationale. The original authors and publishers do not endorse SwipeExam.

Adapted from Open RN Nursing Skills, 2nd edition: Chapter 15 Administration of Enteral Medications Open RN (Chippewa Valley Technical College) · License: CC BY 4.0 · Retrieved November 2, 2026 · BASIC CONCEPTS OF ADMINISTERING MEDICATIONS › Preventing Medication Errors · 2nd edition, 2023

Last verified: November 5, 2026 2 independent automated checks Question ptcb-psqa-00189, version 1

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