A medication order is 5 mg every 8 hours. How many mg are given in 24 hours?

A medication order is 5 mg every 8 hours. How many mg are given in 24 hours?

• A. 10 mg/day
• B. 20 mg/day
• C. 15 mg/day
• D. 30 mg/day

Answer: (C)

The main idea is to convert the dosing schedule into a daily total by counting how many times the medication is given in one day. If a dose is given every 8 hours, you can fit three administrations in 24 hours (24 ÷ 8 = 3). Multiply the dose per administration by the number of administrations: 5 mg × 3 = 15 mg in 24 hours. So the daily amount is 15 mg. The other numbers would come from assuming two, four, or six doses in a day (10 mg, 20 mg, or 30 mg), which doesn’t match the 8-hour interval.

The main idea is to convert the dosing schedule into a daily total by counting how many times the medication is given in one day. If a dose is given every 8 hours, you can fit three administrations in 24 hours (24 ÷ 8 = 3). Multiply the dose per administration by the number of administrations: 5 mg × 3 = 15 mg in 24 hours. So the daily amount is 15 mg. The other numbers would come from assuming two, four, or six doses in a day (10 mg, 20 mg, or 30 mg), which doesn’t match the 8-hour interval.