Fundamentals of Nursing Q 363

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When teaching a female patient how to take a sublingual tablet, the nurse should instruct the patient to place the table on the:

  

     A. Top of the tongue

     B. Roof of the mouth

     C. Floor of the mouth

     D. Inside of the cheek

    

    

Correct Answer: C. Floor of the mouth

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The nurse should instruct the patient to touch the tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth and then place the sublingual tablet on the floor of the mouth. Sublingual medications are absorbed directly into the bloodstream from the oral mucosa, bypassing the GI and hepatic systems. No drug is administered on top of the tongue or on the roof of the mouth.

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Option A: The cheek and area under the tongue have many capillaries, or tiny blood vessels. There, drugs can be absorbed directly into the bloodstream without going through the digestive system.

Option B: These drugs do not go through the digestive system, so they aren’t metabolized through the liver. This means the client may be able to take a lower dose and still get the same results.

Option D: With the buccal route, the tablet is placed between the gum and the cheek. Drugs that are absorbed under the tongue or between the cheek and gum can be easier to take for people who have problems swallowing pills.

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