The nurse is preparing to administer a chewable tablet to a ...

[amal]

The nurse is preparing to administer a chewable tablet to a preschool-age child. The child's parent reports always crushing the tablet and mixing it with pudding when giving it at home. What is the nurse's next action?
 
  a. Ask the pharmacist if the drug may be crushed.
  b. Crush the tablet and mix it with pudding.
  c. Insist that the tablet must be chewed as ordered.
  d. Request a liquid form of the medication from the pharmacy.

Question 2

The nurse is caring for a 20-kg child who is ordered to receive amoxicillin 400 mg PO TID for 10 days. The nurse reviews the drug information and notes that the correct dose of amoxicillin is 40 to 50 mg/kg/day in two to three divided doses.
 
  Which action by the nurse is correct?
  a. Adjust the drug dose based on drug manufacturer dosing information.
  b. Administer the medication as ordered.
  c. Ask the pharmacist to double-check that the dose is correct.
  d. Contact the provider and ask whether the drug should be given BID instead of TID.

[Briannahope]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A
Nurses should not crush or mix medications in other substances without consultation with a pharmacist or a reliable drug reference. Even if the family has been doing this at home, the nurse must still determine safety and efficacy. If the medication cannot be crushed or mixed into another substance, the nurse may need to insist on the child taking the dose as ordered or may need to ask the provider to prescribe a different form of the medication.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: D
The correct range for this drug for this child is 800 to 1000 mg per day. If 400 mg were administered TID, it would result in 1200 mg per day being administered. Twice daily (BID) dosing would be in the correct range.

[amal]

Thanks for the timely response, appreciate it

[samiel-sayed]

Excellent