Final answer:
To provide the ordered 0.5 mg dose of alprazolam with 0.25 mg tablets on hand, you will need to give two tablets.
Step-by-step explanation:
The subject of this question is Medicine, specifically pharmacology and medication administration. The question requires the application of basic mathematics to convert the ordered dose of alprazolam (Xanax) into the correct number of tablets based on the dosage strength available. In this scenario, the physician has ordered 0.5 mg of alprazolam and the tablets on hand are 0.25 mg each.
To determine the number of tablets to administer, you must divide the ordered dose by the dose per tablet:
Number of tablets = Ordered dose ÷ Dose per tablet = 0.5 mg ÷ 0.25 mg/tablet = 2 tablets
Therefore, you will administer two 0.25 mg tablets to provide the ordered 0.5 mg dose of alprazolam.