Patient Safety and Quality Assurance is 23.75% of the scored PTCE (the PTCB exam). Answer 10 exam style questions on medication errors and patient identification and see exactly which concepts would cost you points on test day.
Start the 10 questions →What is the safest way for a technician to confirm a patient's date of birth at the register?
These questions cover patient identification, barcode scanning, error types, error prevention strategies and patient involvement. Each one shows the correct answer and why every other option is wrong, so a miss tells you exactly what to review before the PTCE.
Prefer to read first? Every question from the practice set above, with the correct answer and why each wrong option is wrong.
Answer: A. Open-ended questions make the patient supply the information. A yes/no question ("Is your birthday March 4?") invites a distracted or hard-of-hearing patient to simply say yes.
Why not B: A yes/no confirmation is easy to answer incorrectly and can also disclose information to bystanders.
Why not C: Knowing a drug name does not confirm identity. Many patients take the same drugs.
Why not D: One identifier is not enough. Two patients can share a last name.
Exam tactic: Make the patient SAY it. Never ask "Is your DOB ...?"
Answer: B. Barcode scanning compares the product's NDC with the product entered on the prescription. If the directions (sig) were entered wrong, the right product still scans correctly, so the pharmacist's check of the label against the original prescription must catch it.
Why not A: A different drug has a different NDC, so the scan flags it.
Why not C: A different strength has a different NDC, so the scan flags it.
Why not D: A different dosage form has a different NDC, so the scan flags it.
Exam tactic: Barcodes check the PRODUCT, not what was typed in the sig.
Answer: C. An omission error is the failure to provide a prescribed dose or medication. One of the three requested medications was never filled.
Why not A: The doses of the medications provided were not wrong. One medication was missing entirely.
Why not B: Wrong-time errors involve a dose given outside the intended schedule, not a missing medication.
Why not D: Nothing was given by an incorrect route. A medication was left out.
Exam tactic: Left out = omission.
Answer: B. Interruptions break concentration and are a known contributor to dispensing errors. A designated, protected filling area, with phones and questions handled by other staff, reduces them.
Why not A: Adding phone duty increases interruptions during filling.
Why not C: Rushing increases errors and does not remove interruptions.
Why not D: Placing filling near the busiest customer area increases interruptions.
Exam tactic: Interruptions cause errors. Protect the filling step.
Answer: A. A change in appearance may be a different manufacturer, but it may also be a wrong-drug error. The pharmacist should verify the product against the prescription and explain the change. Patient concerns are a valuable last check.
Why not B: This may be true, but it assumes there is no error. The product must be checked first.
Why not C: The prescriber cannot see the tablets. The pharmacy must verify its own product.
Why not D: Verification can still miss errors. A patient's concern calls for a recheck.
Exam tactic: "These look different" = stop and recheck. Never talk the patient out of it.
Answer: A. Ophthalmic (eye) and otic (ear) products are intended for different routes. Otic products are not intended for use in the eye. This is a wrong-route (wrong dosage form) error.
Why not B: The drug and strength are the same. The problem is the route the product is made for.
Why not C: The timing of doses is not affected.
Why not D: The prescription went to the correct patient.
Exam tactic: Ophthalmic = eye, otic = ear. Never interchangeable.
Answer: A. Dispensing or giving a drug that has expired, or whose physical or chemical integrity is compromised, is classified as a deteriorated drug error.
Why not B: A wrong time error is about when a dose is given, not the condition of the drug.
Why not C: A prescribing error happens when the order itself is wrong, not during dispensing.
Why not D: An omission is a dose that was never given.
Exam tactic: Expired or degraded product reaches the patient = deteriorated drug error.
Answer: B. An unauthorized drug error is giving a medication that was not authorized (ordered) by a legitimate prescriber for that patient.
Why not A: A wrong dose error involves an ordered drug given in the wrong amount.
Why not C: A wrong dosage form error involves an ordered drug in the wrong form.
Why not D: A monitoring error is a failure to review a regimen or lab results; it does not describe giving an unordered drug.
Exam tactic: Never ordered for this patient = unauthorized drug.
Answer: D. Dispensing a different dosage form from the one ordered (here, extended-release instead of immediate-release) is a wrong dosage form error. The release form changes how the drug acts and how often it is taken.
Why not A: The patient received a drug, so this is not an omission.
Why not B: The problem is the product dispensed, not the timing of a dose.
Why not C: The order was correct; the error happened during dispensing.
Exam tactic: Ordered IR, dispensed ER = wrong dosage form.
Answer: B. An omission error is a prescribed dose that is not given at all (excluding a documented refusal or a dose held for a valid reason).
Why not A: A wrong time error means the dose was given, but outside the allowed time window.
Why not C: A wrong dose error means a dose was given in the wrong amount.
Why not D: A wrong patient error means the dose went to someone it was not prescribed for.
Exam tactic: Dose never given = omission.
The free 20 question diagnostic covers all 4 areas of the PTCE outline and shows the 3 fixes worth the most points.
Take the free diagnosticSee all 31 PTCB practice topics →