Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 83%
Simulated
A nurse is preparing to administer ziprasidone 10 mg IM every 6 hr. Available is ziprasidone 20 mg/mL. How many mL 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
0.5
Rationale
The correct answer is 0.5 mL. To calculate this, first determine the total dose needed per administration (10 mg). Then, divide the total dose by the concentration of the medication (20 mg/mL) to find the volume to administer per dose (10 mg ├À 20 mg/mL = 0.5 mL). This ensures the patient receives the correct amount of medication. Other choices are incorrect because they do not accurately calculate the volume needed for the specified dose. For example, choosing a higher volume would result in overdosing the patient, while choosing a lower volume would underdose the patient. The correct calculation is essential to ensure the patient's safety and therapeutic effectiveness.