Drug Dosage Calculations Practice Exam (Quiz #1: 25 Questions)

A home health nurse is caring for a 72-year-old patient with a history of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The patient has been prescribed magnesium hydroxide/aluminum hydroxide (Maalox) 30 mL PO to alleviate symptoms. However, the patient does not have any calibrated medication measuring devices at home. The nurse must instruct the patient on how to measure the dose using ordinary household measuring devices accurately. How will you instruct the patient to measure the dose using ordinary household measuring devices?

Fill in the blanks. Record your answer to the nearest whole number.

A 66-year-old patient with a history of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is currently on warfarin (Coumadin) therapy. The patient has a bottle of Warfarin (Coumadin) 5 mg tablets at home. After reviewing the patient’s most recent international normalized ratio (INR) results, the healthcare provider calls the patient and instructs them to adjust their daily dosage to 7.5 mg/day. The patient is unsure about how to adjust their tablet intake to achieve the new dosage. As a nurse, you are asked to guide the patient on the correct number of tablets they should take. Considering the patient has scored tablets, how many tablets should the patient take daily?

Fill in the blank and record your answer using one decimal place.

A 60-year-old male patient is admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of peptic ulcer disease (PUD). The healthcare provider orders an intravenous piggyback (IVPB) of ranitidine (Zantac) 50 mg in 50 mL D5W to be administered over 30 minutes. The primary nurse notices that the IV tubing has a drip factor of 15. The nurse is responsible for setting the IV infusion controller to regulate the flow of medication. How many drops per minute should the nurse set on the IV infusion controller to administer the IVPB correctly?

Fill in the blanks and round your final answer to a whole number.

A 45-year-old female patient with a history of anxiety disorder is prescribed alprazolam (Xanax) 0.5 mg orally. However, the pharmacy mistakenly dispensed Xanax 0.25 mg tablets. The nurse must administer the correct dose of 0.5 mg. How many tablets of Xanax 0.25 mg should the nurse give to the patient?

Fill in the blanks and round your answer to the nearest whole number. 

A 68-year-old male patient with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) presents with a worsening productive cough and has been diagnosed with a bacterial respiratory infection. He is prescribed erythromycin (Erythrocin) 250 mg orally every 6 hours for 10 days. The patient also has dysphagia, which complicates oral intake. The pharmacy has dispensed erythromycin tablets in 0.5 g strength. Given the patient’s condition and prescription, how many tablet(s) of the 0.5 g erythromycin should the nurse administer for each dose?

Fill in the blank.

A 45-year-old female patient presents to the emergency department with symptoms of acute anxiety and a series of panic attacks following a traumatic event. She reports a history of hypertension and a previous adverse reaction to benzodiazepines, characterized by excessive sedation. The physician orders a cautious dose of lorazepam (Ativan) 1 mg orally to manage her acute symptoms. The patient’s current vital signs are BP 160/90 mmHg, HR 110 bpm, RR 22 breaths/min. The pharmacy has provided 0.5 mg tablets of lorazepam. Taking into account the patient’s medical history and current condition, how many tablets of lorazepam 0.5 mg should the nurse administer?

Fill in the blanks.

A 70-year-old male patient with a history of heart failure and atrial fibrillation is prescribed digoxin (Lanoxin) 0.25 mg orally daily to help manage his symptoms. The pharmacy provides digoxin tablets in a strength of 0.125 mg. How many tablets of digoxin 0.125 mg should the nurse administer to the patient?

Fill in the blank.

A patient with a history of chronic back pain is admitted to the hospital with a vertebral compression fracture. The physician orders a “now” dose of codeine 45 mg IM for the patient’s pain. You have on hand codeine 60 mg/2 mL. How many milliliters should the nurse administer to the patient?

Fill in the blank and record your answer using one decimal place. 

A patient with heart failure is admitted to the hospital and has an order for dextrose in water 1,000 mL to be infused over 24 hours. The patient has a history of diabetes, and the nurse must carefully monitor the drip rate to ensure that the patient’s blood sugar does not spike. The tubing available has a drop factor of 60. What is the appropriate drip rate (gtts/min) that the nurse should set for the primary IV?

Fill in the blanks and record your answer using a whole number. 

A patient is admitted to the emergency department with severe dehydration after spending several hours in the hot sun at an outdoor event. The physician orders 2,000 mL of normal saline to be infused over the next 4 hours. The IV tubing has a drop factor of 15. How many milliliters per hour will you set on a controller?

Fill in the blanks and round your final answer to a whole number.

A 38-year-old male patient with a history of diabetic ketoacidosis had an order of 2,000 mL of D5W IV over 24 hours to be delivered with a tubing set with a drop factor of 15. How many drops per minute will you set for an infusion rate?

Fill in the blank and round the to the nearest whole number for your final answer. 

A 67-year-old male patient with a history of left-sided heart failure is admitted to the cardiac care unit with acute decompensation. The physician orders furosemide (Lasix) 2 mg per minute via continuous IV infusion on a controller. The pharmacy sends a bag of furosemide (Lasix) 400 mg diluted in 250 mL of D5W. How many milliliters per hour will you set on the controller?

Fill in the blank.

A 65-year-old patient with a history of atrial fibrillation is admitted to the hospital with a suspected pulmonary embolism. The physician orders an IV with heparin at 700 units/hour. The pharmacy sends a bag with 100 units/mL of solution. The infusion set has a drip factor of 15. How many milliliters per hour will you set on the IV infusion controller?

Fill in the blank.

A 12-year-old child was admitted to the emergency department because of an asthma attack. Upon assessment, you found out that the child’s weight measures 82.4 lbs. The primary care provider ordered 2 mg/kg of methylprednisolone (Solu-Medrol). The available stock dose is 125 mg/2mL. How many mL will the nurse administer?

Fill in the blank and record and round off your final answer using one decimal place.

A health care provider orders amoxicillin syrup to a 3-year-old child with UTI. Your assessment reveals the following data:

• Temperature of 38.5º C
• Heart rate of 88 bpm
• Respiratory rate of 30 bpm
• Blood pressure of 90/50
• Height of 98 cm
• Weight 12 kg (26.4 lbs)

The dosage required as per order is 50 mg/kg/day divided into three doses per day (TID). Available stock is a suspension with a concentration of 400 mg/5mL. How much will you administer per dose?

Fill in the blank and record your answer using one decimal place. 

A patient with ventricular fibrillation is prescribed with bretylium 5 mcg/kg/minute. The medication comes mixed 50 mg in 50 mL of 0.9 % normal saline. The patient’s weight is 170 lbs. How much of the medication will you administer per hour? Fill in the blank and round off your final answer to a whole number.

A client suffering from chest discomfort and shortness of breath is brought to the emergency department due to acute angina pectoris. The healthcare provider orders IV nitroglycerin (Nitroglycerin) 75 mg in 500 mL of 5% Dextrose Water at 100 mcg/min. The nurse will set the pump at which rate (mL/hr)? Fill in the blank and write your answer using a whole number.

A primary healthcare provider ordered ceftriaxone (Rocephin) for a 4-year old child with lower respiratory tract infection. The dose required is 20 mg/kg/day divided twice a day, administered per dose via IV. The child’s weight is 29 lbs. The drug comes prediluted in a concentration of 10mg/ml. How much of the medication will you administer in mL? Fill in the blank and record your final answer using one decimal place. 

A health care provider orders tirofiban (Aggrastat) at 10.5 mg in 250 mL via infusion pump at 7 mcg/kg/hr to a patient weighing 190 lbs. The nurse will set the infusion pump at which flow rate?

Fill in the blank and record your final answer to a whole number. 

What is the body surface area (BSA) of a patient who weighs 147 pounds and is 5 feet 9 inches tall using the Mosteller formula?

Fill in the blank and round off your answer using two decimal places.

A 135-pounds, 5’8” woman is receiving a medication dose of 25 mg/m2/day per orem for 3 days. Calculate the daily dose for this patient using the method of BSA calculation? Use Mosteller formula.

Fill in the blanks and round off your answer to the whole number.

A health care provider orders diphenhydramine hcl (Benadryl) 180 mg/m2/day to a 12 year old child. The child’s weight is 93 pounds and is 5 feet 2 inches tall. The medication label shows the normal adult dose of 25 mg t.i.d. How many mg of benadryl will the child receive at each dose?

Fill in the blank. Record and round off your final answer using two decimal places.

A child has a body surface area of 1.26 m2. The health care provider orders an IV medication with a normal adult dose of 250 mg. The available medical vial reads 50 mg/mL. How many mL will the nurse administer to the child?

Fill in the blanks and round your answer using one decimal place.