The parents of a young child with heart failure (HF) tell the nurse that they are nervous about giving digoxin. The nurse's response should be based on which knowledge?
a. It is a safe, frequently used drug.
b. Parents lack the expertise necessary to administer digoxin.
c. It is difficult to either overmedicate or undermedicate with digoxin.
d. Parents need to learn specific, important guidelines for administration of digoxin.
ANS: D
Digoxin has a narrow therapeutic range. The margin of safety between therapeutic, toxic, and lethal doses is very small. Specific guidelines are available for parents to learn how to administer the drug safely and to monitor for side effects. Parents may lack the expertise to administer the drug at first, but with discharge preparation, they should be prepared to administer the drug safely.
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