The medication order is 400mg. The supply is 300mg/ml. How many ml will the nurse then give?
The Correct answer and Explanation is:
To calculate the correct dosage in milliliters (ml) for the nurse to administer, the following formula can be used:Volume to be administered (ml)=Prescribed dose (mg)Concentration of supply (mg/ml)\text{Volume to be administered (ml)} = \frac{\text{Prescribed dose (mg)}}{\text{Concentration of supply (mg/ml)}}Volume to be administered (ml)=Concentration of supply (mg/ml)Prescribed dose (mg)
Given:
- Prescribed dose = 400 mg
- Supply concentration = 300 mg/ml
Now, apply the formula:Volume to be administered (ml)=400 mg300 mg/ml=400300=1.3‾ ml\text{Volume to be administered (ml)} = \frac{400 \, \text{mg}}{300 \, \text{mg/ml}} = \frac{400}{300} = 1.\overline{3} \, \text{ml}Volume to be administered (ml)=300mg/ml400mg=300400=1.3ml
Thus, the nurse will need to administer 1.33 ml (or approximately 1.3 ml when rounded to one decimal place).
Explanation
When calculating medication dosages, accuracy is essential to ensure patient safety. In this scenario, the nurse is required to administer a dose of 400 mg, but the medication is available in a concentration of 300 mg per milliliter. This requires converting the required dose from milligrams to milliliters, as the medication is liquid, and the amount given is measured in milliliters.
The first step in solving this problem is understanding the relationship between the dose prescribed (in mg) and the supply concentration (in mg/ml). The concentration tells us how much of the drug is present in a single milliliter. In this case, 1 ml of the medication contains 300 mg of the active drug.
To find the correct volume, we divide the prescribed dose by the concentration. This conversion is vital because it ensures the patient receives the exact amount of medication needed. If the nurse incorrectly calculates the dosage, the patient could receive too little or too much of the medication, leading to ineffective treatment or potential harm.
In clinical practice, rounding decisions should be based on the medication, its therapeutic window, and any institutional policies. In this example, it’s appropriate to administer 1.33 ml since precision is necessary for delivering the correct dose.
Understanding and correctly applying dosage calculations is fundamental in nursing practice, preventing errors, ensuring patient safety, and optimizing therapeutic outcomes.