Final answer:
To find the flow rate, multiply the volume to be infused by the drop factor and divide by the infusion time in minutes. For a 500mL IV over 2 hours with a 10 gtt/min drop factor, the flow rate is 41.666 gtt/min, which is rounded to 42 gtt/min.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks about calculating the flow rate for an IV administration when the nurse prepares to administer 500mL IV to infuse over 2 hours with a drop factor of 10 gtt/min. To solve this, we will use the following formula:
Flow rate in gtt/min = (Volume in mL × Drop factor in gtt/mL) ÷ Time in minutes
First, convert the infusion time from hours to minutes:
2 hours = 2 × 60 = 120 minutes
Now, plug in the values into the formula:
Flow rate in gtt/min = (500 mL × 10 gtt/mL) ÷ 120 minutes
Flow rate in gtt/min = (5000 gtt) ÷ 120 minutes
Flow rate in gtt/min = 41.666 gtt/min
Since the question asks to round to the whole number, the final flow rate will be:
42 gtt/min