The nurse is administering a drug with a long half-life. What does a long half-life mean?
a. The drug may need to be taken more frequently.
b. The drug actions may last a short amount of time.
c. The half-life has no bearing on medication administration.
d. The drug may be taken once a day.
ANS: D
The half-life of a drug is the time it takes to remove 50% of the drug from the body. If a drug has a long half-life, the drug may only need to be taken once a day. Drugs with long half-lives may potentially cause problems because the action of the drug may last longer.
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