Introduction: Pharmaceutical care and active ward round participation are essential competencies for B. Pharm students preparing for clinical roles. Understanding medication reconciliation, drug therapy monitoring, adverse drug reaction identification, and interprofessional communication enables pharmacists to contribute to safer, individualized therapy. During ward rounds, pharmacists assess prescriptions, suggest dose adjustments, prevent drug-related problems, and support antimicrobial stewardship. Mastery of documentation, patient counseling, pharmacovigilance, and clinical decision-making enhances outcomes and reduces medication errors. This focused set of MCQs reinforces core knowledge, clinical reasoning, and practical skills relevant to hospital pharmacy practice. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.
Q1. What is the primary goal of pharmaceutical care during ward rounds?
- Maximizing hospital revenue
- Ensuring efficient inventory turnover
- Optimizing patient-specific medication outcomes
- Supervising nursing staff
Correct Answer: Optimizing patient-specific medication outcomes
Q2. Which activity best describes medication reconciliation at admission?
- Comparing the patient’s current medications with those ordered on admission
- Dispensing the hospital’s formulary alternative
- Conducting therapeutic drug monitoring
- Providing discharge counseling
Correct Answer: Comparing the patient’s current medications with those ordered on admission
Q3. During ward rounds, a pharmacist notices a creatinine clearance of 25 mL/min for a patient on enoxaparin. The best action is:
- Maintain the same dose and document
- Recommend dose adjustment or alternative anticoagulant
- Discontinue all medications
- Advise starting a nephrotoxic antibiotic
Correct Answer: Recommend dose adjustment or alternative anticoagulant
Q4. Which documentation format commonly used in clinical settings helps record pharmaceutical interventions?
- SOAP note (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan)
- Batch record
- Manufacturing worksheet
- Inventory ledger
Correct Answer: SOAP note (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan)
Q5. Identifying a drug–drug interaction during rounds is primarily an example of which pharmacist role?
- Formulary management
- Clinical screening for drug-related problems
- Medication packaging
- Sterile compounding
Correct Answer: Clinical screening for drug-related problems
Q6. Which of the following is a key communication skill for ward round participation?
- Using medical jargon without explanation
- Presenting concise, evidence-based recommendations to the team
- Refusing to change recommendations
- Only communicating via written notes
Correct Answer: Presenting concise, evidence-based recommendations to the team
Q7. What is the pharmacist’s role in antimicrobial stewardship during ward rounds?
- Empirically start all patients on broad-spectrum antibiotics
- Review indication, duration, and recommend de-escalation
- Avoid involvement in antibiotic selection
- Substitute antibiotics based on cost alone
Correct Answer: Review indication, duration, and recommend de-escalation
Q8. Which monitoring parameter is most appropriate for a patient on digoxin?
- Random blood glucose
- Serum digoxin concentration and electrolytes (especially potassium)
- Platelet count
- Urine culture
Correct Answer: Serum digoxin concentration and electrolytes (especially potassium)
Q9. When reporting an adverse drug reaction (ADR) observed during ward rounds, pharmacists should:
- Ignore it if mild
- Document details, notify the team, and report to pharmacovigilance system
- Remove the drug without documentation
- Only inform the patient’s family
Correct Answer: Document details, notify the team, and report to pharmacovigilance system
Q10. Which intervention improves patient adherence identified during ward rounds?
- Prescribing multiple dosing times unnecessarily
- Simplifying regimen and providing counseling at bedside
- Removing patient education materials
- Delaying discharge counseling until post-discharge
Correct Answer: Simplifying regimen and providing counseling at bedside
Q11. A patient is prescribed vancomycin. Which is the most appropriate pharmacist action during rounds?
- Recommend baseline trough or AUC monitoring and dose adjustments
- Advise never monitoring serum levels
- Suggest discontinuing all other therapies
- Change to oral vancomycin for systemic infection
Correct Answer: Recommend baseline trough or AUC monitoring and dose adjustments
Q12. Which principle of pharmaceutical care emphasizes patient-centered outcomes?
- Focus on product labeling accuracy
- Identifying, preventing, and resolving drug-related problems to improve quality of life
- Strict adherence to procurement timelines
- Maximizing prescription volume
Correct Answer: Identifying, preventing, and resolving drug-related problems to improve quality of life
Q13. During a multidisciplinary round, a junior doctor asks for a dosing recommendation for a neonate. The pharmacist should:
- Guess based on adult dosing
- Refer to neonatal dosing guidelines and calculate dose using weight and maturity
- Refuse to provide assistance
- Recommend the highest available dose
Correct Answer: Refer to neonatal dosing guidelines and calculate dose using weight and maturity
Q14. Which documentation is essential for continuity of care at discharge?
- Discharge medication list with indication and follow-up plan
- Pharmacy inventory report
- Only the prescription without explanations
- Manufacturing batch certificate
Correct Answer: Discharge medication list with indication and follow-up plan
Q15. What is the best approach if a prescriber disagrees with a pharmacist’s recommendation on rounds?
- Argue loudly in front of the patient
- Provide evidence, discuss respectfully, and document the agreed plan
- Withdraw recommendation quietly
- Report the prescriber to administration immediately
Correct Answer: Provide evidence, discuss respectfully, and document the agreed plan
Q16. Which activity is NOT typically part of a pharmacist’s role on ward rounds?
- Assessing drug efficacy and safety
- Recommending dose modifications
- Performing bedside surgical procedures
- Counseling patients on medications
Correct Answer: Performing bedside surgical procedures
Q17. For a patient with hepatic impairment, pharmacists should consider:
- Only renal dose adjustments
- Altered drug metabolism and consider dose reduction or alternative agents
- Increasing doses due to poor clearance
- Stopping monitoring altogether
Correct Answer: Altered drug metabolism and consider dose reduction or alternative agents
Q18. Which tool helps pharmacists identify drug-related problems during rounds?
- Medication appropriateness index (MAI)
- Manufacturing SOP
- Price list
- Inventory turnover ratio
Correct Answer: Medication appropriateness index (MAI)
Q19. When counseling a patient on polypharmacy, the pharmacist should prioritize:
- Frequency of pharmacy visits
- Understanding medication purpose, dosing, side effects, and interactions
- Lengthy technical monographs
- Minimizing time spent with the patient
Correct Answer: Understanding medication purpose, dosing, side effects, and interactions
Q20. Which ethical principle requires pharmacists to maintain patient confidentiality during ward rounds?
- Beneficence
- Nonmaleficence
- Autonomy
- Respect for privacy and confidentiality
Correct Answer: Respect for privacy and confidentiality
Q21. What is the role of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) in clinical pharmacy practice?
- To randomly check drug stocks
- To measure drug concentrations and guide individualized dosing
- To replace clinical assessment entirely
- To standardize a fixed dose for all patients
Correct Answer: To measure drug concentrations and guide individualized dosing
Q22. A pharmacist detects an omitted regular medication during rounds. The best immediate action is:
- Document and leave it for the next day
- Alert the team, verify indication, and recommend restart if appropriate
- Contact the manufacturer
- Dispense a different class drug without consultation
Correct Answer: Alert the team, verify indication, and recommend restart if appropriate
Q23. Interprofessional collaboration on ward rounds improves outcomes primarily by:
- Increasing the number of prescriptions
- Enhancing coordinated decision-making and reducing medication errors
- Reducing nurse responsibilities
- Eliminating physician involvement
Correct Answer: Enhancing coordinated decision-making and reducing medication errors
Q24. Which action demonstrates proactive pharmaceutical care for high-risk medications?
- Ignoring monitoring requirements
- Establishing protocols for dosing, monitoring, and patient education
- Allowing nonclinical staff to adjust doses
- Delaying interventions until adverse events occur
Correct Answer: Establishing protocols for dosing, monitoring, and patient education
Q25. Which statement about formulary restrictions is true for ward-round pharmacists?
- Formulary restrictions are irrelevant to clinical decisions
- Pharmacists should be aware and suggest restricted alternatives when necessary
- Pharmacists must always override restrictions
- Formulary lists should never be consulted
Correct Answer: Pharmacists should be aware and suggest restricted alternatives when necessary
Q26. Involving patients during ward rounds supports pharmaceutical care by:
- Reducing transparency
- Empowering shared decision-making and improving adherence
- Delaying clinical decisions indefinitely
- Excluding family from conversations
Correct Answer: Empowering shared decision-making and improving adherence
Q27. Which is a priority when reconciling outpatient insulin regimens on admission?
- Assume the inpatient schedule is identical
- Confirm home regimen, glucose readings, and modify for inpatient nutrition and illness
- Stop all insulin temporarily
- Switch to oral hypoglycemics without review
Correct Answer: Confirm home regimen, glucose readings, and modify for inpatient nutrition and illness
Q28. What is an appropriate metric to evaluate pharmacist impact on ward rounds?
- Number of dispensing labels printed
- Rate of accepted interventions and changes in medication error rates
- Time spent in the pharmacy storeroom
- Quantity of stock ordered
Correct Answer: Rate of accepted interventions and changes in medication error rates
Q29. Which describes a drug-related problem (DRP) identified during rounds?
- Optimal therapeutic outcome achieved
- Any event involving drug therapy that interferes with desired health outcomes
- Only manufacturing defects
- Nonclinical administrative tasks
Correct Answer: Any event involving drug therapy that interferes with desired health outcomes
Q30. For effective ward-round participation, a B. Pharm student should prioritize:
- Passive observation without engagement
- Preparation, evidence-based recommendations, clear documentation, and respectful communication
- Performing only dispensing duties
- Focusing solely on cost savings
Correct Answer: Preparation, evidence-based recommendations, clear documentation, and respectful communication
I am a Registered Pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act, 1948, and the founder of PharmacyFreak.com. I hold a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Rungta College of Pharmaceutical Science and Research. With a strong academic foundation and practical knowledge, I am committed to providing accurate, easy-to-understand content to support pharmacy students and professionals. My aim is to make complex pharmaceutical concepts accessible and useful for real-world application.
Mail- Sachin@pharmacyfreak.com