Final answer:
The expression h(1) = 56 indicates that one hour after drug administration, the plasma concentration is increasing at a rate of 56 mg/ml per hour. Factors like the drug's half-life, delivery method, dose-dependency, and time-dependency play a role in determining dosage and understanding side effects.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is dealing with a pharmacokinetic model, where h(t) describes the rate of change of drug concentration in plasma over time. The statement h(1) = 56 means that one hour after the drug is administered, the plasma concentration of the medication is increasing at a rate of 56 mg/ml per hour. Though the full context of the expression di = 480 is not provided in the question, if it is related to the initial dosage or the concentration at time zero, it could suggest that the initial plasma concentration was 480 mg/ml.
Several factors need to be considered when determining the dosage of a drug, including the drug's half-life, delivery method (intravenous, oral, or intramuscular), and the pharmacodynamic properties such as whether the drug action is dose-dependent or time-dependent. Side effects and their severity can be influenced by the dosing regimen, drug concentration levels, patient-specific factors, and the pharmacokinetic profile of the medication.