Pharmacology and the Nursing Process 7th Edition by Linda Lane Lilley, Shelly Rainforth Collins, Julie S. Snyder

Exercise 14

The nurse is giving medications to a newly admitted patient who is to receive nothing by mouth (NPO status) and finds an order written as follows: "Digoxin, 250 mcg stat." Which action is appropriate?
A)Give the medication immediately (stat) by mouth because the patient has no intravenous (IV) access at this time.
B)Clarify the order with the prescribing physician before giving the drug.
C)Ask the charge nurse what route the physician meant to use.
D)Start an IV line, then give the medication IV so that it will work faster, because the patient's status is NPO at this time.