Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 93%
Simulated
A nurse is caring for a client who has depression and is taking imipramine 300 mg PO divided equally every 8 hr. Available is imipramine 50 mg tablets. How many tablets should the nurse administer per dose? (Round the answer to the nearest tenth. Use a leading zero if it applies. Do not use a trailing zero.)
Correct answer
2
Rationale
The correct answer is 2 tablets per dose. To calculate this, divide the total daily dose (300 mg) by the strength of each tablet (50 mg). 300 mg ├À 50 mg = 6 tablets/day. Since the dose is divided equally every 8 hours, the nurse should administer 2 tablets per dose. This ensures the client receives the correct amount of medication throughout the day. Other choices are incorrect because they do not result from the correct calculation. For example, giving only 1 tablet per dose would be insufficient, while giving 3 tablets per dose would exceed the prescribed amount.