A patient is prescribed 0.25 mg of digoxin orally once daily. How many tablets should you give? (Stock = digoxin 250 microgram tablets)
Understand the Problem
The question is asking how many tablets of digoxin are needed to administer a 0.25 mg dose, given that each tablet contains 250 micrograms of digoxin. The key is to convert the units to be the same (either both in mg or both in micrograms) and then divide the required dose by the dose per tablet.
Answer
$1 \text{ tablet}$
Answer for screen readers
$1 \text{ tablet}$
Steps to Solve
- Convert mg to micrograms
Since 1 mg = 1000 micrograms, we convert 0.25 mg to micrograms:
$0. 25 \text{ mg} \times 1000 \frac{\text{micrograms}}{\text{mg}} = 250 \text{ micrograms}$
- Calculate number of tablets
Divide the required dose (in micrograms) by the dose per tablet (in micrograms):
$\frac{250 \text{ micrograms}}{250 \text{ micrograms/tablet}} = 1 \text{ tablet}$
$1 \text{ tablet}$
More Information
The calculation shows that exactly one tablet is needed to administer the required dose.
Tips
A common mistake is failing to convert the units to be the same before dividing. For example, dividing 0.25 mg by 250 micrograms without converting would lead to an incorrect answer. Another common mistake is to multiply instead of dividing.
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