A nurse is preparing to administer dexamethasone 3 mg PO. Available is dexamethasone
1.5 mg tablets. How many tablets should the nurse administer? (Round the answer to the nearest whole number. Use a leading zero if it applies. Do not use a trailing zero.)
The correct answer and Explanation is :
To determine how many tablets of dexamethasone the nurse should administer, follow these steps:
- Identify the Ordered Dose and Available Dose:
- Ordered Dose: 3 mg
- Available Dose: 1.5 mg per tablet
- Calculate the Number of Tablets Required:
Use the formula for calculating the number of tablets needed:
[
\text{Number of Tablets} = \frac{\text{Ordered Dose}}{\text{Available Dose}}
]
Substituting in the values:
[
\text{Number of Tablets} = \frac{3 \text{ mg}}{1.5 \text{ mg/tablet}} = 2 \text{ tablets}
] Therefore, the nurse should administer 2 tablets.
Explanation:
To ensure that the patient receives the correct dose of dexamethasone, it’s essential to understand the ratio between the ordered dose and the available dose. In this case, the patient needs 3 mg of dexamethasone, but the tablets on hand are 1.5 mg each. By dividing the total dose needed by the dose per tablet, you determine how many tablets are required.
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:
- Ordered Dose: This is the amount of medication the physician has prescribed, which is 3 mg.
- Available Dose: This is the concentration of the medication per tablet, which is 1.5 mg/tablet.
- Division Calculation: Divide the ordered dose by the available dose to find out how many tablets are necessary. [
3 \text{ mg} \div 1.5 \text{ mg/tablet} = 2 \text{ tablets}
]
No rounding is necessary in this case since the result is a whole number. It is crucial to be precise in dosage calculations to ensure patient safety and efficacy of the treatment.