2024 PN NCLEX Questions Nursing Practice Question
A client needs to rapidly achieve a therapeutic plasma drug concentration of a medication. Rather than wait for steady state to be achieved, the physician might order:
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: To quickly reach a therapeutic plasma drug concentration, a loading dose (B) is administered. This higher initial dose allows the drug to achieve effective levels in the bloodstream more rapidly than waiting for multiple doses to reach steady state.
Option A, a maintenance dose, is intended to maintain drug levels after achieving the desired concentration, not to reach it quickly.
Option C, selecting a medication with no first-pass effect, may improve bioavailability but does not directly expedite reaching therapeutic levels.
Option D, administering the medication intravenously, can enhance speed but does not specifically address the need for an initial rapid concentration, which is best achieved with a loading dose.