A client receives a prescription for digoxin 125 mcg by mouth daily. The medication is available in 0.0625 mg tablets. How many tablets should the nurse administer? (Enter numerical value only.)
The correct answer and Explanation is :
To determine how many digoxin tablets to administer, follow these steps:
- Convert the prescribed dose from mcg to mg:
- The prescription is for 125 mcg.
- Since 1 mg = 1000 mcg, convert mcg to mg by dividing by 1000.
- Therefore, ( 125 \text{ mcg} = \frac{125}{1000} \text{ mg} = 0.125 \text{ mg} ).
- Determine the tablet strength:
- The tablets are available in 0.0625 mg strength.
- Calculate the number of tablets needed:
- To find out how many tablets are required to administer 0.125 mg, use the formula: [
\text{Number of tablets} = \frac{\text{Prescribed dose}}{\text{Tablet strength}}
] Substituting the values: [
\text{Number of tablets} = \frac{0.125 \text{ mg}}{0.0625 \text{ mg/tablet}} = 2
] - Therefore, the nurse should administer 2 tablets.
Explanation:
Digoxin is a medication used to treat heart conditions by increasing the force of heart muscle contractions and controlling heart rate. It is crucial to administer the correct dose to ensure effectiveness and minimize side effects. In this scenario, the prescribed dose is 125 mcg, which converts to 0.125 mg.
The available tablet strength is 0.0625 mg. To achieve the correct dose, the number of tablets must be calculated based on how many times the tablet strength fits into the prescribed dose. Here, dividing the prescribed dose (0.125 mg) by the tablet strength (0.0625 mg) results in 2 tablets.
Accurate dosage calculations are vital in nursing practice to ensure that patients receive the correct amount of medication, which is essential for their health and safety.