A child receives a prescription for ibuprofen 200 mg by mouth every 6 hours as needed for a fever. The bottle is labeled “Ibuprofen for Oral Suspension, USP 100 mg per 5 mL.” How many teaspoons should the nurse instruct the parent to administer with each dose? (Enter numerical value
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
To determine how many teaspoons the parent should administer with each dose of ibuprofen, follow these steps:
1. Calculate the volume of ibuprofen needed for each dose:
The prescription is for 200 mg of ibuprofen per dose. The bottle label indicates that the concentration of ibuprofen is 100 mg per 5 mL. To find out how many mL are needed for a 200 mg dose, use the following proportion:100 mg5 mL=200 mgx mL\frac{100 \text{ mg}}{5 \text{ mL}} = \frac{200 \text{ mg}}{x \text{ mL}}5 mL100 mg=x mL200 mg
Cross-multiplying to solve for xxx:100 mg×x mL=200 mg×5 mL100 \text{ mg} \times x \text{ mL} = 200 \text{ mg} \times 5 \text{ mL}100 mg×x mL=200 mg×5 mL100x=1000100x = 1000100x=1000x=10 mLx = 10 \text{ mL}x=10 mL
So, 10 mL of the suspension is needed to provide 200 mg of ibuprofen.
2. Convert milliliters to teaspoons:
There are 5 mL in 1 teaspoon. To find out how many teaspoons are equivalent to 10 mL:10 mL5 mL/teaspoon=2 teaspoons\frac{10 \text{ mL}}{5 \text{ mL/teaspoon}} = 2 \text{ teaspoons}5 mL/teaspoon10 mL=2 teaspoons
3. Final instruction to the parent:
The nurse should instruct the parent to administer 2 teaspoons of the ibuprofen suspension for each dose.
Explanation:
The concentration of the ibuprofen suspension is crucial for determining the correct dose. The bottle indicates that each 5 mL of the liquid contains 100 mg of ibuprofen. To meet the prescribed dose of 200 mg, you need to calculate how many mL of the suspension this corresponds to. By setting up a proportion, it was found that 10 mL of the suspension is needed to deliver 200 mg of ibuprofen.
Next, converting mL to teaspoons is straightforward using the conversion factor (1 teaspoon = 5 mL). Dividing 10 mL by 5 mL/teaspoon provides the number of teaspoons required, which is 2. This conversion ensures that the parent administers the precise amount of medication needed per dose, aligning with the prescription and avoiding dosage errors.