Worked example

Oral dose — liquid — practice problem 3

The prescriber orders 25 mg of ibuprofen oral suspension. The bottle is labeled 50 mg per 1 mL.

Ordered dose25 mg
Concentration50 mg per 1 mL

How many milliliters should the nurse give?

Answer: 0.5 mL

Step-by-step solution

1. Identify what you have and what you want
Have: 50 mg per 1 mL · Want: 25 mg
2. Set up dimensional analysis so mg cancels
25 mg × ( 1 mL ÷ 50 mg )
3. Cancel mg and solve
= ( 25 × 1 ) ÷ 50 mL
= 0.5 mL

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