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. While ensuring confidentiality is crucial for building trust and encouraging openness, it is often a standard assurance given after establishing a rapport. It does not directly address immediate comfort or the setting of the interview, which can have a significant impact on the patient’s initial anxiety.
B. Explaining the reason for asking questions can help the patient understand the purpose of the interview, making them feel more comfortable and less anxious. This can also help in building trust and encouraging the patient to provide more accurate and complete information. However, this explanation usually comes after ensuring that the interview environment is comfortable and private.
C. Creating a comfortable and private environment is a critical first step. A well-arranged and private interview area helps to make the patient feel safe and at ease, reducing their anxiety and enabling them to speak more freely. It sets the stage for a more successful and effective interview.
D. Allowing the patient to ask questions about the interview can be beneficial and may help in reducing anxiety. It provides an opportunity to clarify any uncertainties the patient might have. However, this step is usually more effective after addressing the immediate comfort and privacy concerns of the interview setting.

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.