Why does the nurse teach a patient to use a small medication cup ...

[karen]

Why does the nurse teach a patient to use a small medication cup to measure a liquid drug rather than a tableware teaspoon?
 
  a. A child may learn to think that all tableware teaspoons contain drugs.
  b. Teaspoons are more likely to spill and waste drug than a medication cup.
  c. Medication cups measure liquids more accurately than tableware teaspoons.
  d. Medication cups are less likely to change the taste of the drug than tableware teaspoons.

Question 2

What is the most important action for the nurse to perform before administering a patient's daily dose of digoxin (Lanoxin)?
 
  a. Check the patient's apical pulse for a full 60 seconds.
  b. Assess the patient's dependent body areas for edema formation.
  c. Ask whether the patient has experienced any heart palpitations during the last 24 hours.
  d. Verify that the time of administration today is within one-half hour of the time the drug was administered yesterday.

[ecox1012]

Answer to Question 1

C
Tableware teaspoons and tablespoons used for eating are only names that indicate that the two spoon types are different in size. They do not reflect the actual liquid amount either one can hold, and do not hold the same volume from one spoon to another. The medication cup is a more ac-curate measure of liquid volume.

Answer to Question 2

A
Although all the actions are important, the most important is to ensure that the pulse rate is be-tween 60 and 100 beats per minute and is regular before administering digoxin or any other car-diac glycoside. For an irregular heart rate or one that is outside of this range, the dose must be held and the prescriber notified immediately.

[karen]

TYSM

[tuate]

Excellent