Worked example

Oral dose — liquid — practice problem 7

The prescriber orders 125 mg of acetaminophen oral suspension. The bottle is labeled 250 mg per 5 mL.

Ordered dose125 mg
Concentration250 mg per 5 mL

How many milliliters should the nurse give?

Answer: 2.5 mL

Step-by-step solution

1. Identify what you have and what you want
Have: 250 mg per 5 mL · Want: 125 mg
2. Set up dimensional analysis so mg cancels
125 mg × ( 5 mL ÷ 250 mg )
3. Cancel mg and solve
= ( 125 × 5 ) ÷ 250 mL
= 2.5 mL

More oral dose — liquid examples