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.
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Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
To calculate the rate of infusion, we need to divide the total volume to be infused (1.5 L) by the total time of infusion (24 hours)
1.5 L = 1500 mL (since 1 L = 1000 mL)
Dividing 1500 mL by 24 hours gives us the rate of 62.5 mL/hr.
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
The IV infusion will be completed at 13:20.
This answer is correct because it is based on a simple division and addition calculation. The nurse can divide the total volume of the infusion by the infusion rate to get the duration of the infusion in hours, as follows:
1000 mL / 250 mL/hr = 4 hr
Therefore, the infusion will take 4 hours to complete. The nurse can add 4 hours to the start time of the infusion to get the end time, as follows:
09:20 + 4:00 = 13:20
Therefore, the IV infusion will be completed at 13:20.
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