Final answer:
Filgrastim is a medication intended to stimulate the bone marrow to increase production of neutrophils, which helps in fighting infections, especially for chemotherapy patients who are at a higher risk of neutropenia.
Step-by-step explanation:
The nurse is preparing to administer filgrastim, a synthetic form of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). The intended purpose of filgrastim is to stimulate the bone marrow to produce more neutrophils, which are a type of white blood cell (WBC) crucial in fighting infections.
Filgrastim is commonly used in patients undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, as chemotherapy can lead to neutropenia (a low WBC count), increasing the risk of infection. By boosting the WBC count, filgrastim helps reduce the risk of infection in these patients.