Question

A nurse is preparing to administer morphine 4 mg IV bolus every 3 hr PRN pain. Available is morphine injection 10 mg/ml. How many ml should the nurse administer per dose?

Answer 1

To calculate the volume of morphine to administer, divide the prescribed dose (4 mg) by the concentration of the available morphine solution (10 mg/mL), resulting in 0.4 mL to be administered per dose.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the volume of morphine injection a nurse should administer per dose, we need to use the dosage strength and the available concentration. The physician's order is for 4 mg of morphine to be administered. The available morphine injection has a concentration of 10 mg/mL. To find the volume for the dose (V), we use the formula:

V (in mL) = Dose (in mg) ÷ Concentration (in mg/mL)

Plugging in the values gives us:

V = 4 mg ÷ 10 mg/mL = 0.4 mL

Therefore, the nurse should administer 0.4 mL of the morphine injection to deliver a 4 mg dose.

This calculation is crucial as it ensures the patient receives the correct amount of medication for pain relief, preventing both under-dosage and potentially dangerous overdose.