For a patient requiring 50 mg of prednisone, with availability of 20 mg tablets, how many tablets should the nurse administer?

To determine the correct number of tablets to administer for a prescribed dose of prednisone, you need to divide the total prescribed dose by the strength of each tablet. In this scenario, the patient requires 50 mg of prednisone, and each tablet contains 20 mg.

The calculation involves dividing 50 mg by 20 mg per tablet:

[

\text{Tablets required} = \frac{\text{Total prescribed dose}}{\text{Tablet strength}} = \frac{50 \text{ mg}}{20 \text{ mg/tablet}} = 2.5 \text{ tablets}

]

This means that to achieve the required dose of 50 mg, the nurse should administer 2.5 tablets. In clinical practice, this often means the nurse might provide 2 tablets and supplement with a half tablet, depending on the facility’s protocols. This approach effectively delivers the correct total dosage needed for the patient.