A nurse is preparing to administer levothyroxine 0.05 mg PO to a client. Available is levothyroxine 25 mcg tablets. How many tablets should the nurse plan to administer? (Round the answer to the nearest whole number. Use a leading zero if it applies. Do not use a trailing zero.)
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
To determine how many levothyroxine tablets to administer, you need to convert the prescribed dose into the unit of the available medication and then calculate the number of tablets required. Here’s a step-by-step explanation of how to solve this problem:
Step-by-Step Solution:
- Convert the Prescribed Dose:
- The prescribed dose is 0.05 mg.
- Convert milligrams (mg) to micrograms (mcg) because the available tablets are measured in mcg.
- 1 mg = 1000 mcg, so 0.05 mg = 0.05 × 1000 mcg = 50 mcg.
- Determine the Tablet Strength:
- Each tablet contains 25 mcg of levothyroxine.
- Calculate the Number of Tablets Required:
- To find out how many tablets are needed, divide the total micrograms required by the strength of each tablet:
[
\text{Number of tablets} = \frac{\text{Total dose in mcg}}{\text{Strength per tablet}}
] - Substituting the values:
[
\text{Number of tablets} = \frac{50 \text{ mcg}}{25 \text{ mcg/tablet}} = 2
]
Therefore, the nurse should administer 2 tablets of levothyroxine.
Explanation:
The problem involves converting the ordered medication dose from milligrams to micrograms and then using this information to determine how many tablets to administer. Conversion between units is crucial in medication administration to ensure accurate dosing.
Levothyroxine is a medication used to treat hypothyroidism and is commonly measured in micrograms due to the small doses required. In this scenario, the prescribed dose of 0.05 mg was first converted to 50 mcg. Since each available tablet contains 25 mcg, the calculation was straightforward. Dividing the total dose by the tablet strength gives the number of tablets needed.
This calculation is essential to ensure that the patient receives the correct dose of medication, avoiding underdosing or overdosing, which can lead to ineffective treatment or adverse effects. Accurate medication administration is critical in nursing practice for effective patient care.