A nurse is preparing to administer hydroxyzine HCL 50 mg PO. Available is hydroxyzine oral suspension 25 mg/5 mL. How many mL should nurse 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 calculate how many milliliters (mL) of hydroxyzine oral suspension the nurse should administer, we need to use the basic formula for dosage calculation:
[
\text{Volume to Administer (mL)} = \left( \frac{\text{Desired Dose (mg)}}{\text{Dose on Hand (mg)}} \right) \times \text{Volume on Hand (mL)}
]
Given:
- Desired Dose: 50 mg
- Dose on Hand: 25 mg
- Volume on Hand: 5 mL
Now, plug in the values:
[
\text{Volume to Administer (mL)} = \left( \frac{50\text{ mg}}{25\text{ mg}} \right) \times 5\text{ mL}
]
[
\text{Volume to Administer (mL)} = 2 \times 5\text{ mL} = 10\text{ mL}
]
Thus, the nurse should administer 10 mL of the hydroxyzine oral suspension.
Explanation:
When administering medications, it is crucial to ensure the correct dosage is given to avoid underdosing or overdosing the patient. Dosage calculations often involve determining how much of a liquid medication should be administered based on the concentration provided.
In this scenario, the prescribed dose is 50 mg of hydroxyzine, but the medication is available in a liquid form with a concentration of 25 mg per 5 mL. This means that every 5 mL of the suspension contains 25 mg of the drug.
To calculate how much liquid contains the required 50 mg dose, we first divide the desired dose (50 mg) by the concentration (25 mg per 5 mL). This calculation gives us the number of doses (in this case, it’s 2 doses of 25 mg each). Since each 25 mg dose is contained in 5 mL of liquid, we multiply by 2, resulting in 10 mL.
Accuracy in dosage calculation is critical in nursing practice to ensure patient safety and therapeutic efficacy. The use of proper rounding (to the nearest whole number) and the avoidance of leading and trailing zeros (e.g., writing “0.5” instead of “.5” and “5” instead of “5.0”) are essential practices to prevent errors in medication administration.
In summary, the nurse should administer 10 mL of the hydroxyzine oral suspension to deliver the correct 50 mg dose to the patient.