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 B
Explanation
The correct angle for giving an intradermal injection is **10 to 15 degrees**. This angle allows the needle to enter the dermis, which is the layer of skin just below the epidermis. The needle should be inserted almost flat against the patient's skin, with the bevel side up. A small blister or bleb should form under the skin after injecting the medication.
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
To find the rate in mL/hr, you need to use the formula for infusion rate:
Infusion rate (mL/h) = Total volume (mL) / Time (h)
Since the total volume is 500 mL and the time is 2 hours, plug in these values into the formula:
Infusion rate (mL/h) = 500 mL / 2 h
Simplify and solve for the infusion rate:
Infusion rate (mL/h) = 250 mL/h
Therefore, the nurse should set the IV pump to deliver **250 mL/h** to infuse LR 500 mL over 2 hours.
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