The nurse is caring for a client who has difficulty swallowing a large tablet of a prescribed drug. What action should the nurse take first?
Consult with the client's health care provider.
Administer the liquid form of the drug.
Administer the parenteral form of the drug.
Crush the tablet before administration.
The Correct Answer is A
Choice A reason: Consulting ensures safety; not all drugs can be altered, and the provider adjusts the order, preventing errors in bioavailability or efficacy.
Choice B reason: Liquid may work, but without approval, it’s unauthorized; some drugs lack liquid forms, and this bypasses necessary prescriber oversight.
Choice C reason: Parenteral needs an order change; administering without it violates scope, and it’s invasive, escalating care unnecessarily as a first step.
Choice D reason: Crushing alters pharmacokinetics; many tablets (e.g., extended-release) can’t be crushed, and doing so without checking risks toxicity or inefficacy.
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Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A reason: Waiting delays care; illegible orders risk errors, and timely clarification ensures the patient receives accurate treatment without unnecessary postponement.
Choice B reason: Direct prescriber contact resolves ambiguity; it ensures the order’s intent, aligning with safety protocols to prevent misinterpretation or harm.
Choice C reason: Colleagues may guess incorrectly; peer opinion lacks authority, risking errors in dosage or drug, compromising patient safety over prescriber intent.
Choice D reason: Patient recall is unreliable; home meds may differ from admission orders, and this doesn’t clarify the prescriber’s handwritten instruction accurately.
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A reason: 60 gtts/min assumes 100 mL in 100 minutes; this underestimates the 1-hour order, delivering Levaquin too slowly, risking subtherapeutic antibiotic levels.
Choice B reason: 100 gtts/min is correct; 100 mL over 1 hour (60 min) with 60 gtts/mL equals 6000 gtts total, divided by 60 minutes matches the ordered rate.
Choice C reason: 120 gtts/min overestimates; it implies 100 mL in 50 minutes, infusing too fast, potentially causing Levaquin-related side effects like tachycardia or irritation.
Choice D reason: 200 gtts/min is excessive; 100 mL in 30 minutes doubles the rate, risking toxicity or infusion reactions, far exceeding the 1-hour prescription safely.
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