Question

A patient is leaving the hospital. The family has been told to give her medications "bid." The wife asked what that means. The nurse aide tells her to give the medications

A.Twice a day
B.Three times a day
C.Once a day
D.Only when needed

Answer 1

The abbreviation 'bid' means to give medications 'Twice a day'. Medication dosing frequencies can depend on factors like the drug's half-life and whether its effect is dose or time-dependent.

Step-by-step explanation:

The abbreviation 'bid' in medical terminology means Twice a day. When a family is instructed to give medications 'bid', it means they should administer the drugs to the patient two times per day, usually spaced out at regular intervals. This dosing frequency may be determined by several factors specific to the drugs, such as their half-life and whether the effect of the drug is dose-dependent or time-dependent.

Drugs with a short half-life require more frequent dosing to maintain effective levels in the body, whereas drugs with longer half-lives can be administered less frequently. If a drug is dose-dependent, higher concentrations are needed in a short time to be effective, and if it's time-dependent, maintaining a lower concentration over a longer period is more effective.