The parents of a young child with congestive heart failure tell the nurse that they are "nervous" about giving digoxin.What knowledge should the nurse include in her response?
A) It is a safe, frequently used drug.
B) It is difficult to either overmedicate or undermedicate with digoxin.
C) Parents lack the expertise necessary to administer digoxin.
D) Parents must learn specific, important guidelines for administration of digoxin.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Digoxin is frequently used,but has a narrow therapeutic range.The difference between therapeutic,toxic,and lethal doses is very minor.Very small amounts of the liquid are given to infants,which makes it easy to under- or overmedicate.Parents may lack the necessary expertise to administer the drug at first,but with discharge instructions they should be prepared to administer the drug safely and monitor for adverse effects.

The Parents of a Young Child with Congestive Heart Failure