A patient is prescribed a reducing oral dose of prednisolone as follows:
[tex]$\frac{2}{100}=0.02$[/tex]
A patient is prednisolone is supplied as [tex]$5 m \% \$ fm 8+$[/tex] therefore
1. 10mg
day 5: 3mg
Prednisolone tablets cannot be split. Therefore
day 2: 8mg
day 6: 2mg the patient needs to make a number of length
day 3: 6 mg
day x; 4mg:
day: [tex]$1m^8$[/tex]
tablets. How many of each tablet then?
would it be most appropriate to supply?
Soln
Answer (1)
Calculate the total dosage of prednisolone required over the 7 days: 34 mg.
Determine the number of 5mg tablets needed based on the total dosage: 5 34 = 6.8 tablets, which rounds up to 7 tablets if considering only the total dosage.
Analyze the daily dosages and the number of 5mg tablets required each day, considering that tablets cannot be split.
Determine that the most appropriate number of 5mg tablets to supply is 10, to meet the daily dosage requirements without under-dosage. 10
Explanation
Understanding the Problem We need to determine the most appropriate number of 5mg tablets to supply for a patient who has been prescribed a reducing oral dose of prednisolone. The patient's dosage schedule is as follows:
Day 1: 10mg Day 2: 8mg Day 3: 6mg Day 4: 4mg Day 5: 3mg Day 6: 2mg Day 7: 1mg
Since prednisolone is supplied as 5mg tablets and the tablets cannot be split, we need to figure out how many tablets are needed for each day and in total.
Calculating Total Dosage and Initial Tablet Count First, let's calculate the total dosage required over the 7 days: 10 + 8 + 6 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 34 mg Since the tablets are 5mg each, we can calculate the number of tablets needed by dividing the total dosage by the tablet strength: 5 34 = 6.8 tablets Since tablets cannot be split, we must round up to the nearest whole number to ensure the patient has enough medication. Therefore, we need 7 tablets if we consider only the total dosage.
Analyzing Daily Dosages and Tablet Combinations Now, let's consider the daily dosages and how to achieve them using 5mg tablets, keeping in mind that we cannot split the tablets:
Day 1: 10mg requires 2 tablets. Day 2: 8mg can be achieved by giving 2 tablets (10mg), with a 2mg surplus. Day 3: 6mg can be achieved by giving 2 tablets (10mg), with a 4mg surplus. Day 4: 4mg can be achieved by giving 1 tablet (5mg), with a 1mg surplus. Day 5: 3mg can be achieved by giving 1 tablet (5mg), with a 2mg surplus. Day 6: 2mg can be achieved by giving 1 tablet (5mg), with a 3mg surplus. Day 7: 1mg can be achieved by giving 1 tablet (5mg), with a 4mg surplus.
If we follow this approach, the total number of tablets required is: 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 10 tablets This results in a total dosage of 50mg, while only 34mg is needed, leading to a 16mg surplus.
Determining the Most Appropriate Tablet Supply Let's analyze the number of tablets required based on the daily dose. We need to supply enough tablets to cover each day's dosage without splitting tablets. The most appropriate approach is to supply enough tablets to meet the requirements of each day, even if it results in some surplus. Therefore, we need to supply the following:
Day 1: 2 tablets (10mg) Day 2: 2 tablets (10mg) Day 3: 2 tablets (10mg) Day 4: 1 tablet (5mg) Day 5: 1 tablet (5mg) Day 6: 1 tablet (5mg) Day 7: 1 tablet (5mg)
Total tablets = 10
Final Answer Therefore, the most appropriate number of 5mg tablets to supply is 10.
Examples
Consider a scenario where a doctor prescribes antibiotics to a patient with a bacterial infection. The prescription requires the patient to take a specific dosage of the antibiotic each day for a week. The antibiotics are available in tablet form, and the tablets cannot be split. The problem of determining the most appropriate number of tablets to supply is similar to the prednisolone dosage problem. The doctor must calculate the total dosage required over the week and determine the number of tablets needed to meet the daily dosage requirements without splitting tablets. This ensures that the patient receives the correct amount of medication to effectively treat the infection.
