Haldol (haloperidol) 5.0 mg PO tid was ordered for a patient who is agitated.
Which action should a nurse take before administering the medication?
Discuss the use of PO with the healthcare provider.
Discuss the use of tid with the healthcare provider.
Discuss the use of Haldol with the healthcare provider.
Discuss the use of the trailing zero with the healthcare provider.
The Correct Answer is D
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.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
The nurse should administer 0.35 mcg of medication to the infant.
This answer is correct because it is based on a simple multiplication calculation. The nurse should multiply the prescribed dose per kilogram by the infant's weight in kilograms to get the total dose in micrograms, as follows:
0.05 mcg/kg x 7 kg = 0.35 mcg
Therefore, the nurse should administer 0.35 mcg of medication to the infant.
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
To find the amount of solution to draw for one dose, you need to calculate the following:
- The body surface area (BSA) of the client in square meters (m²) using the formula: BSA (m²) = √(Height (cm) x Weight (kg) / 3600)
- The dose of allopurinol in milligrams (mg) using the formula: Dose (mg) = BSA (m²) x Prescribed dose
(mg/m²)
- The volume of solution in milliliters (mL) using the formula: Volume (mL) = Dose (mg) / Concentration (mg/mL)
First, use the formula for BSA to find the client's body surface area in square meters:
BSA (m²) = √(Height (cm) x Weight (kg) / 3600)
Since the client's height is 148 cm and weight is 55 kg, plug in these values into the formula:
BSA (m²) = √(148 cm x 55 kg / 3600)
Simplify and solve for the BSA:
BSA (m²) = 1.41 m²
Next, use the formula for dose to find the amount of allopurinol in milligrams:
Dose (mg) = BSA (m²) x Prescribed dose (mg/m²)
Since the client's BSA is 1.41 m² and the prescribed dose is 115 mg/m², plug in these values into the formula:
Dose (mg) = 1.41 m² x 115 mg/m²
Simplify and solve for the dose:
Dose (mg) = 162.15 mg
Then, use the formula for volume to find the amount of solution in milliliters:
Volume (mL) = Dose (mg) / Concentration (mg/mL)
Since the dose is 162.15 mg and the concentration is 25 mg/mL, plug in these values into the formula:
Volume (mL) = 162.15 mg / 25 mg/mL
Simplify and solve for the volume:
Volume (mL) = 6.486 mL
Therefore, the nurse should draw **6.486 mL** of solution for one dose of allopurinol.
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