Vitamin K Injection
Vitamin K Injection ( 4 Questions)
A nurse is preparing to administer vitamin K injection to a newborn.
Which of the following actions should the nurse take before drawing up the medication?
Checking the newborn’s blood type and Rh factor is not necessary before giving vitamin K injection.
Vitamin K is not a blood product and does not depend on blood compatibility.
Checking the newborn’s bilirubin level and jaundice score is not relevant to vitamin K injection. Vitamin K is given to prevent vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB), which is a serious condition that can cause bleeding in the brain or other organs.
Bilirubin level and jaundice score are indicators of neonatal jaundice, which is a common condition that causes yellowing of the skin and eyes due to excess bilirubin in the blood.
Check the medication label for the name, dose, expiry date and route of administration.
This is a standard precaution that should be taken before administering any medication to ensure patient safety and avoid medication errors.
Checking the newborn’s weight and length measurements is not required before giving vitamin K injection. The recommended dose of vitamin K for newborns weighing more than 1500 g is 1 mg as a single intramuscular injection within 6 hours of birth. For preterm infants weighing less than 1500 g, the dose is 0.3 mg/kg to 0.5 mg/kg.
The dose does not depend on the exact weight or length of the newborn.
The correct answer is choice C. Check the medication label for the name, dose, expiry date and route of administration.
This is a standard precaution that should be taken before administering any medication to ensure patient safety and avoid medication errors.
Choice A is wrong because checking the newborn’s blood type and Rh factor is not necessary before giving vitamin K injection.
Vitamin K is not a blood product and does not depend on blood compatibility.
Choice B is wrong because checking the newborn’s bilirubin level and jaundice score is not relevant to vitamin K injection. Vitamin K is given to prevent vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB), which is a serious condition that can cause bleeding in the brain or other organs.
Bilirubin level and jaundice score are indicators of neonatal jaundice, which is a common condition that causes yellowing of the skin and eyes due to excess bilirubin in the blood.
Choice D is wrong because checking the newborn’s weight and length measurements is not required before giving vitamin K injection. The recommended dose of vitamin K for newborns weighing more than 1500 g is 1 mg as a single intramuscular injection within 6 hours of birth. For preterm infants weighing less than 1500 g, the dose is 0.3 mg/kg to 0.5 mg/kg.
The dose does not depend on the exact weight or length of the newborn.