about drug instruction interpretation

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if a person is charted half to 1 of an "x"tablet once a day and you give the person half but its not effective within a few hours. can you still give the other half or is it a drug error if you do?

another example if morphine 2.5 to 5 mls is prescribed every 4 hours and you give 2.5. after 1 hour the patient is still in pain can u still give another 2.5. to chase the 5mls.?

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Leaving whether it's appropriate to write orders in terms of portions of a "tablet" as a separate issue (it's not), how a range order is to be interpreted is based on the what the expectations of the person writing the order. If the person writing the order meant it to be interpreted based on best practice recommendations, then you could give the lower range of the order and then if that' ineffective, give the remainder of the range so long as you aren't exceeding the dosage limit per timeframe specified in the order.

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Specializes in Adult and Pediatric Vascular Access, Paramedic.

I don't know of any hospital that would accept tabs and mLs as a drug dose!! That is only asking for a drug error. Doses need to be in mg, meq, mcg, units etc. They may be able to do that if they specify the concentration perhaps.

Annie

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