A nurse is instructed to administer 60 mEq of an iron supplement to an anemic client three times a day. The iron supplement botle contains 30 mEq in 10 mL.
How many milliliters of the supplement should the nurse administer in a day?
20 mL
60 mL
30 mL
10 mL
The Correct Answer is B
The nurse should administer 60 mL of the supplement in a day.
This answer is correct because it is based on a simple unit conversion and multiplication calculation. The nurse can convert 60 mEq to 20 mL by using the ratio given on the botle label, as follows:
30 mEq / 10 mL = 60 mEq / x mL
Cross-multiplying and solving for x gives:
x = 20 mL
Therefore, the nurse should administer 20 mL of the supplement to deliver 60 mEq of the medication to the patient. Since the order is for three times a day, the nurse should multiply 20 mL by 3 to get the total daily dose, which is 60 mL.
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Related Questions
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
To find the amount of solution to draw for one dose, you need to calculate the following:
- The body surface area (BSA) of the client in square meters (m²) using the formula: BSA (m²) = √(Height (cm) x Weight (kg) / 3600)
- The dose of allopurinol in milligrams (mg) using the formula: Dose (mg) = BSA (m²) x Prescribed dose
(mg/m²)
- The volume of solution in milliliters (mL) using the formula: Volume (mL) = Dose (mg) / Concentration (mg/mL)
First, use the formula for BSA to find the client's body surface area in square meters:
BSA (m²) = √(Height (cm) x Weight (kg) / 3600)
Since the client's height is 148 cm and weight is 55 kg, plug in these values into the formula:
BSA (m²) = √(148 cm x 55 kg / 3600)
Simplify and solve for the BSA:
BSA (m²) = 1.41 m²
Next, use the formula for dose to find the amount of allopurinol in milligrams:
Dose (mg) = BSA (m²) x Prescribed dose (mg/m²)
Since the client's BSA is 1.41 m² and the prescribed dose is 115 mg/m², plug in these values into the formula:
Dose (mg) = 1.41 m² x 115 mg/m²
Simplify and solve for the dose:
Dose (mg) = 162.15 mg
Then, use the formula for volume to find the amount of solution in milliliters:
Volume (mL) = Dose (mg) / Concentration (mg/mL)
Since the dose is 162.15 mg and the concentration is 25 mg/mL, plug in these values into the formula:
Volume (mL) = 162.15 mg / 25 mg/mL
Simplify and solve for the volume:
Volume (mL) = 6.486 mL
Therefore, the nurse should draw **6.486 mL** of solution for one dose of allopurinol.
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
This action should be taken by the nurse before administering the medication because the use of a trailing zero after a decimal point (5.0 mg) is a common cause of medication errors and should be avoided. A trailing zero may be misread or misinterpreted as a larger dose (50 mg) or omited altogether, resulting in a 10-fold overdose or underdose, respectively. For example, when prescriptions have been writen for "Coumadin 1.0 mg," patients have received 10 mg in error. Therefore, the nurse should clarify the intended dose with the healthcare provider and use the correct notation (5 mg) without a trailing zero.
The other options are not appropriate actions because:
a) Discussing the use of PO (by mouth) with the healthcare provider is not necessary, as PO is a standard route of administration for Haldol (haloperidol) and does not pose a risk of confusion or error.
b) Discussing the use of tid (three times a day) with the healthcare provider is not necessary, as tid is a standard frequency of administration for Haldol and does not pose a risk of confusion or error.
c) Discussing the use of Haldol with the healthcare provider is not relevant to the question, as Haldol is the prescribed medication for the patient who is agitated and does not need to be changed or questioned by the nurse.
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