Final answer:
Reading the label accurately is indeed the first step in safely calculating drug dosage and is crucial for patient safety in a medical context. This involves confirming drug concentrations and required dilutions before proceeding with calculations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first step a medical assistant should take in safely calculating drug dosage is indeed reading the label accurately. This is true. The accuracy of dosage calculations is critical, as it involves the well-being of patients. Before proceeding with any dosage calculations, medical and pharmaceutical personnel must ensure they understand the concentration of the drug and the required dilutions. For instance, a medical assistant might start by confirming the drug's concentration on the label to calculate the appropriate dose for a patient.
In addition to reading the label, the assistant would need to convert the dose into the correct units (if necessary), use the right formula to calculate the dosage, and double-check that the calculated dose makes sense in the context of the patient's condition and the standard recommended dosages. As indicated by the case of the quality control chemist checking the precision and accuracy of dispensing machines, attention to detail is vital to ensure patient safety. The example illustrates that accurately dispensing medication, whether in a hospital or pharmaceutical setting, is crucial to delivering the correct therapeutic outcomes.