A nursing home resident has been prescribed to take 20 mg of prednisolone immediately. The facility does not have prednisolone, only prednisone. What is the nurse's best action?
a. Substitute prednisone for prednisolone because they are both corticosteroids.
b. Hold the dose until the pharmacy opens the next day.
c. Notify the prescriber immediately of this situation.
d. Administer the parenteral form of the drug.
C
Although prednisone and prednisolone are both corticosteroids, they are not the same strength and only the prescriber can change the drug or its dose. Because it was ordered to be administered as soon as possible, the nurse should not wait until the next day but should notify the prescriber immediately. It is possible that, if the prednisolone is not available until tomorrow, the prescriber may change the drug, its dose, or its delivery route; however, these decisions must be made by the prescriber, not the nurse.
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