ATI Pharmacology Practice Test Best Practices.

Follow these steps for the Dimensional Analysis method of calculation: Step 1: What is the unit of measurement the nurse should calculate? (Place the unit of measure being calculated on the left side of the equation.) Step 2: Determine the ratio that contains the same unit as the unit being calculated. (Place the ratio on the right side of the equation, ensuring that the unit in the numerator matches the unit being calculated.) 15 mgX mg/dose = 1 kg Step 3: Place any remaining ratios that are relevant to the item on the right side of the equation, along with any needed conversion factors, to cancel out unwanted units of measurement. 15 mg1 kg44 lb12 hrX mg/dose = × × × x2.2 lb12 hr1 dose Step 4: Solve for X. X mg/dose = 300 mg/dose Step 5: Round if necessary. Step 6: Determine whether the amount to administer makes sense. If the prescription reads 15 mg/kg every 12 hr and the child weighs 20 kg, it makes sense to give 300 mg/dose every 12 hr. A nurse is developing a teaching plan for a client who has a new prescription for simvastatin. Which of the following instructions should the nurse include in the teaching plan? (Select all that apply.) a. Report muscle pain to the provider. b. Avoid taking the medication with grapefruit juice. c. Take the medication in the early morning. d. Expect a flushing of the skin as a reaction to the medication. e. Expect therapy with this medication to be lifelong. a. b. e. Report muscle pain to the provider is correct. Myopathy is an adverse effect of simvastatin that can lead to rhabdomyolysis. The nurse should instruct the client to report this to the provider. Avoid taking the medication with grapefruit juice is correct. When taken with grapefruit juice, simvastatin increases the risk of muscle injury from elevations in creatine kinase. Expect therapy with this medication to be lifelong is correct. If medication therapy is discontinued, cholesterol levels will return to their pretreatment range within several weeks to months. Take the medication in the early morning is incorrect. This medication is most effective when taken in the evening because cholesterol production generally increases overnight. Expect a flushing of the skin as a reaction to the medication is incorrect. The nurse should identify flushing of the skin as an adverse effect of the medication niacin, which can be used to decrease the client's triglyceride levels.