“A patient is preparing to take aspirin 650 mg PO. Available is aspirin 125 mg tablets. How many tablets should the patient 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 125 mg aspirin tablets a patient should take to reach a dosage of 650 mg, we can use the formula:
Number of tablets=Desired doseAvailable dose per tablet\text{Number of tablets} = \frac{\text{Desired dose}}{\text{Available dose per tablet}}Number of tablets=Available dose per tabletDesired dose
In this case:
- Desired dose = 650 mg
- Available dose per tablet = 125 mg
Now, we plug in the values:
Number of tablets=650 mg125 mg/tablet\text{Number of tablets} = \frac{650 \, \text{mg}}{125 \, \text{mg/tablet}}Number of tablets=125mg/tablet650mg
Calculating that gives:
Number of tablets=5.2\text{Number of tablets} = 5.2Number of tablets=5.2
Since we need to round to the nearest whole number, 5.2 rounds to 5. Therefore, the patient should take 5 tablets of 125 mg aspirin to achieve the prescribed dosage of 650 mg.
Explanation:
When calculating medication dosages, accuracy is crucial to ensure patient safety and therapeutic efficacy. Here, we first identify the total amount of medication the patient needs (650 mg) and compare it to the amount available in each tablet (125 mg). The calculation follows basic principles of ratio and proportion commonly used in nursing and pharmacology.
In practice, when a healthcare provider prescribes a medication, the nurse must confirm the prescribed dose against the available form of the medication. This helps prevent potential dosing errors that could lead to underdosing (ineffective treatment) or overdosing (toxic effects).
Rounding is an essential skill, especially when the calculated dose does not result in a whole number. Rounding rules stipulate that if the decimal is 0.5 or higher, you round up, and if it’s below 0.5, you round down. In this case, since 5.2 is closer to 5 than to 6, we rounded down to ensure the patient receives a safe and effective dose without exceeding what is required.
This thorough understanding of medication calculation not only enhances patient safety but also instills confidence in nursing practice.