Revisiting the basics

Mrs Smith is awaiting discharge following an uneventful appendectomy two days ago. You are writing a discharge prescription for analgesia. You prescribe co-codamol 30/500 mg tablets, 1-2 tablets every 4-6 hourly as required. You advise Mrs Smith that no more than eight tablets should be taken in any 24-hour period.

You are asked to check the dose of a patient's antihypertensive treatment. The evidence base stipulates that for your patient type, the drug should be given at 25% less than the standard starting dose of 10 mg daily. The drug is available in strengths of 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg and 20 mg tablets.

Janet has been admitted to hospital for intravenous antibiotics for 14 days' duration. The antibiotic is mixed in 100 ml saline, infused over 30 minutes and is administered in six hourly doses.

Your patient, aged six years, is experiencing an acute asthma attack and requires emergency nebulisers. The dose of drug is 2.5-5 mg, repeated every 20-30 minutes.