The nurse caring for a patient without any religious affiliation who was admitted 2 days ago with a severe gastrointestinal infection encounters the hospital chaplain who wants to pray with the patient. The most appropriate response by the nurse is:

Choice A reason: While reliability exists, the oral route is less predictable than IV administration due to variability in absorption caused by digestive factors, making it less reliable for rapid or consistent onset.

Choice B reason: Convenience is the primary advantage of oral administration. It allows ease of self-administration, enabling clients to manage their medications without healthcare provider intervention, making it the most frequently used route.

Choice C reason: While many clients tolerate oral medications well, others may face challenges, such as difficulty swallowing or gastric irritation, meaning tolerability varies and is not a universal advantage of this route.

Choice D reason: The oral route does not ensure fast action due to time required for digestion, absorption, and metabolism, making it slower compared to routes like IV or sublingual administration.

Choice A reason: Drawing at 8:30 a.m., 60 minutes before, is too early; trough levels, taken just before the next dose, reflect minimum concentration, and this timing risks inaccurate results.

Choice B reason: At 9:00 a.m., 30 minutes before the 9:30 a.m. dose, the trough level accurately measures the lowest vancomycin concentration, ensuring therapeutic monitoring aligns with pharmacokinetics.

Choice C reason: Drawing at 10:00 a.m., after the dose, measures a post-infusion level, not the trough; this timing misses the minimum concentration critical for dosing adjustments.

Choice D reason: At 10:30 a.m., well after the dose, blood reflects peak or random levels, not the trough, skewing data needed to assess vancomycin’s therapeutic efficacy and safety.