After assessing a client, a primary healthcare provider prescribes diphenhydramine 25 mg IV STAT for anaphylaxis. The pharmacy supplies a vial with a concentration of 50 mg/mL.
How much and when should a nurse administer this medication?
Administer 0.5 mL of medication immediately to the client
Administer 25 mg of medication once a day to the client for two weeks
Administer 25 mg of medication every eight hours
Administer 0.5 mL of medication if the client has symptoms of allergy
Administer 0.5 mL of medication if the client has symptoms of allergy
The Correct Answer is A
To find how much medication to administer, you need to calculate the following:
- The volume of diphenhydramine in milliliters
- The infusion time in minutes
First, divide the dose of diphenhydramine by the concentration to get the volume in milliliters:
25 mg / 50 mg/mL = 0.5 mL diphenhydramine should be diluted in 10 to 20 mL of normal saline and infused over at least 2 minutes.
Therefore, the nurse should administer **0.5 mL** of diphenhydramine diluted in 10 to 20 mL of normal saline over **at least 2 minutes**.
The nurse should administer this medication **as soon as possible** after receiving the order and the medication from the pharmacy, as STAT means immediately or urgently. The nurse should also monitor the client for signs of improvement or adverse reactions.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
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.
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
This is another dosage calculation problem. To solve it, we need to use the formula:
Caloric need ÷ Calories per mL 1000 = Formula per day
In this case, the caloric need is 2250 calories, and the calories per mL is 2000/1000 = 2. Plugging these values into the formula, we get:
2250 ÷ 2 × 1000 = 1125
Therefore, the client would need **1125 mL** of formula per day to meet the calorie requirements.
Whether you are a student looking to ace your exams or a practicing nurse seeking to enhance your expertise , our nursing education contents will empower you with the confidence and competence to make a difference in the lives of patients and become a respected leader in the healthcare field.
Visit Naxlex, invest in your future and unlock endless possibilities with our unparalleled nursing education contents today
Report Wrong Answer on the Current Question
Do you disagree with the answer? If yes, what is your expected answer? Explain.
Kindly be descriptive with the issue you are facing.