According to Indian government guidelines of the Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) program, the dose of Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) for pregnant women should be?

Appeared in: AIIMS CRE SNO - 2023

Explanation

The Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) program guidelines specify a daily prophylactic dose for pregnant women.
This dose consists of one tablet containing 60 mg of elemental iron.
The same tablet also contains 500 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid.
This regimen is designed to prevent iron deficiency anemia and neural tube defects.

Close distractor alert - Option B: The unit for folic acid is incorrect. 500 mg (milligrams) is a toxic overdose, being 1000 times greater than the correct dose of 500 mcg (micrograms).
Option C: Both the iron dose and the folic acid unit are incorrect for routine prophylaxis under AMB. 100 mg of iron is typically a therapeutic dose, not prophylactic, and 500 mg of folic acid is an overdose.
Option D: The elemental iron dose of 50 mg is lower than the 60 mg recommended by the AMB program for pregnant women in India, a setting with a high prevalence of anemia.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing IFA supplementation dosage for pregnant women under the Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) program helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Correct IFA supplementation is a critical nursing responsibility in antenatal care to prevent maternal anemia, postpartum hemorrhage, low birth weight, and neural tube defects in the fetus.
Nurses must be vigilant about the units (mcg vs. mg) when educating patients, as incorrect dosage can lead to inefficacy or toxicity.
What if? If a pregnant woman's hemoglobin is found to be below 11 g/dL (i.e., she is diagnosed with anemia), the prophylactic dose is insufficient. She would be switched to a therapeutic dose, which is typically two of the 60 mg iron tablets per day, until her hemoglobin normalizes.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key components of the question: 'Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) program', 'IFA dose', and 'pregnant women'. This indicates the need for specific knowledge of a national health program.
Second, recall or look for the specific prophylactic dosage recommended by this program. Pay close attention to both the iron and folic acid components.
Third, carefully examine the units for each component in the options. A common distractor in pharmacology questions is the confusion between milligrams (mg) and micrograms (mcg).
Finally, compare the recalled information (60 mg iron + 500 mcg folic acid) with the given options to select the one that matches exactly in both value and unit.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: IFA supplementation dosage for pregnant women under the Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) program.
Stem keywords: Anemia Mukt Bharat, AMB program, IFA, pregnant women, dose
Lead-in keywords: According to
Clinical cues: Age/sex group narrows the expected diagnosis, intervention, or normal reference range.

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E6 Nutrition Monika Sharma 3e p. 213-215

E6 Comprehensive Textbook of Community Health Nursing for BSc Nursing Students Part 2 — Subpart A (pp 1-275 of 550) p. 202-204

Practise the full AIIMS CRE SNO - 2023

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