The physician has prescribed 20 mEq of KCl to a client. The available KCl is 10 mEq/5 ml. The nurse will administer?

Appeared in: SCTIMST Staff Nurse - 2015 (Set-A)

Explanation

The question requires the nurse to calculate the correct volume of medication to administer based on the prescribed dose and the available stock concentration.
The standard formula for dosage calculation is (Desired Dose / Available Dose) × Quantity.
The desired dose is 20 mEq, and the available dose is 10 mEq in a quantity of 5 ml.
Plugging the values into the formula: (20 mEq / 10 mEq) × 5 ml.
This simplifies to 2 × 5 ml, which equals 10 ml.
Therefore, the correct volume to administer is 10 ml.

Option A: Administering 5 ml would only provide 10 mEq of KCl, which is half of the prescribed dose.
Option B: 5 ml is an incorrect calculation. It would deliver 15 mEq of KCl, which is not the prescribed dose.
Option D: 5 ml is a mathematical error and does not correspond to the correct calculation. It would deliver 21 mEq of KCl.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Medication Dosage Calculation to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
Accurate medication calculation is a critical nursing skill essential for patient safety, preventing underdosing or overdosing.
Potassium Chloride (KCl) is a high-alert medication. Administering an incorrect dose can lead to severe adverse effects, particularly life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias due to hyperkalemia (high potassium).
Nurses must always double-check their calculations, especially for high-alert drugs. Many facilities have policies requiring a second nurse to verify the calculation.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the question type. This is an analytical question requiring a dosage calculation.
Identify the three key pieces of information provided in the stem: the Desired dose (D), the dose on Hand/Available (H), and the Quantity/Volume (Q).
Desired (D) = 20 mEq.
Available (H) = 10 mEq.
Quantity (Q) = 5 ml.
Recall and apply the standard dosage calculation formula: (D / H) × Q.

Concept Tested & Keywords

QeJY00dvvKIYDCvURENOlN

E6 Nursing Fundamentals Potter Perry 12e Part 3 p. 142-144

Practise the full SCTIMST Staff Nurse - 2015 (Set-A)

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.