To determine how many caplets of ibuprofen should be given to the patient, you need to follow these steps:
1. Identify the ordered dosage: The physician has ordered 250 mg of ibuprofen to be administered per dose.
2. Identify the dosage strength available: The available ibuprofen comes in a strength of 500 mg per caplet.
3. Calculate the number of caplets needed per dose:
- Each caplet contains 500 mg.
- Since 250 mg is needed, divide the ordered dosage (250 mg) by the available dosage strength per caplet (500 mg).
[tex]\[
\text{Number of caplets per dose} = \frac{\text{Ordered dosage}}{\text{Dosage strength per caplet}} = \frac{250\, \text{mg}}{500\, \text{mg}}
\][/tex]
4. Simplify the fraction:
[tex]\[
\frac{250}{500} = 0.5
\][/tex]
So, the patient should be given 0.5 caplets of ibuprofen per dose.
This means, for each dose, the patient will need to take half of a 500 mg caplet to fulfill the ordered dosage of 250 mg.
