Greg Wilson, a 65-year-old man, is diagnosed with pneumonia. He has a history of congestive heart failure. His physician has ordered an antibiotic for the pneumonia and he takes digoxin every day.
As the health care provider, which question would you ask first before administering his antibiotic? Why is the first dose of the antibiotic twice as much as the maintenance dose? Which variables may slow his metabolism and excretion?
You should submit your initial response to each discussion question by Wednesday at 11:59 pm (MT) each week. You are also required to respond to a peer and/or their instructor on one other day of the week.
LP2.1 Discussion: Medication Effects
As a health care provider we must ask the right questions especially before administrating any medication. In the case study for Greg Wilson, the first and most important question his health care provider should ask is “have you ever had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic?” The reason for this question is imperative because it helps the provider to determine which antibiotic is best for him. If Greg Wilson has had a reaction before, the health care provider can avoid and more complications to Greg. Sometimes a provider will prescribe a prescription that will have instructions that instruct the patient to take two doses on the first dose, and after the first dose to take only one dose. This form of administrating medication is known as the loading dose. The loading dose is when a patient takes the initial dose that is often the maximum dose and then continues taking the medication using a smaller dosage. The reason for using this method is to quickly elevate the level of the drug in the blood.
The health care provider that is responsible for Greg Wilson’s prescription must also factor in other variables regarding the patient. The following variables must be known in order to administer the correct medication and dosage