A patient with congestive heart failure is scheduled to receive 0.125 mg of digoxin. The nurse has on hand 0.25 mg/tablet. How many tablet(s) should the nurse prepare to administer?

A. Knowing a patient’s history of drug allergies is essential for preventing allergic reactions to medications. Allergic reactions can be severe and include symptoms such as rash, difficulty breathing, or anaphylaxis. While important, assessing for drug allergies alone does not address all aspects of medication safety, such as correct drug administration, dosage, or monitoring for side effects.
B. Educating patients about their medications helps them understand why they are taking them and what side effects to watch for. This can improve adherence to the medication regimen and enable patients to report side effects promptly. Education is important but does not directly prevent medication errors or ensure that medications are administered correctly.
C. Confirming the patient's identity before administering medication is a fundamental safety measure. It helps prevent medication errors, such as administering the wrong medication to the wrong patient. This action alone does not address other aspects of medication administration, such as verifying correct dosage, the timing of administration, or monitoring for adverse effects.
D. The 5 rights of medication administration—right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, and right time—are fundamental principles of safe medication administration. Adhering to these rights helps prevent medication errors and ensures that medications are administered correctly. By consistently applying these principles, the nurse minimizes the risk of errors and enhances patient safety. This approach covers multiple aspects of medication administration, including verifying the correct patient, drug, dose, route, and timing.

A. Serum complement levels are used to evaluate the complement system, which is part of the immune system and plays a role in inflammation and infection. While complement levels can be important in certain inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, they are not typically used to assess age-related changes that impact drug metabolism or the appropriate selection of pain medications.
B. The Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) is a key measure of kidney function. In older adults, kidney function often declines with age, affecting the metabolism and excretion of medications. Many drugs are primarily eliminated through the kidneys, and impaired kidney function can lead to drug accumulation, increased risk of toxicity, and altered therapeutic efficacy. Assessing GFR helps in adjusting medication doses to avoid adverse effects and ensure safe and effective treatment.
C. A White Blood Count (WBC) measures the number of white blood cells in the blood and is used to assess the body's response to infection, inflammation, and other conditions. While it provides valuable information about immune function and potential infections, it does not directly address age-related changes in drug metabolism or pharmacokinetics. Therefore, it is not the primary test for evaluating how aging might affect drug therapy.
D. An Electroencephalogram (EEG) records the electrical activity of the brain and is used to diagnose neurological conditions such as seizures, sleep disorders, and brain abnormalities. Although EEGs are valuable in certain neurological assessments, they do not provide information on how age-related physiological changes affect drug metabolism or how to tailor drug regimens for older adults.