29. If a prescription for morphine sulfate is written for 2 mg/mL and entered as 20 mg/mL, the patient will receive:
Answer: D
The patient will receive ten times the prescribed dose.
Since the prescription is intended for 2 mg/mL but was entered as 20 mg/mL, the patient will receive a dose that is ten times greater than what was prescribed.
A) one-tenth the prescribed dose
This option is incorrect because the dosage entered (20 mg/mL) is actually greater than the prescribed dosage (2 mg/mL), not less. Therefore, the patient will not receive one-tenth of the prescribed dose.
B) twice the prescribed dose
This option is also incorrect as the entered dosage is significantly higher than double the prescribed amount. The correct relation is that 20 mg/mL is ten times the 2 mg/mL prescribed dose, making this option inaccurate.
C) five times the prescribed dose
This option is incorrect because the entered dosage of 20 mg/mL is not five times the prescribed dose of 2 mg/mL. Instead, it is ten times greater, which makes this option misleading.
D) ten times the prescribed dose
This option is correct as the entered dosage of 20 mg/mL is indeed ten times the prescribed dosage of 2 mg/mL. Therefore, this reflects the actual dosage the patient will receive.
Conclusion
The correct answer is definitively D, as the entered dosage of 20 mg/mL exceeds the prescribed dose of 2 mg/mL by a factor of ten. All other options fail because they either underestimate or miscalculate the relationship between the entered and prescribed doses. Understanding dosage calculations is critical in ensuring patient safety and accurate medication administration.