Fundamentals of Nursing Q 530
The nurse is ordered to administer ampicillin capsule TID p.o. The nurse should give the medication by which frequency?
A. Three times a day orally
B. Three times a day after meals
C. Two times a day by mouth
D. Two times a day before meals
Correct Answer: A. Three times a day orally
TID is the Latin for “ter in die” which means three times a day. P.O. means per orem or through mouth. The “time” of administration of medication is valuable information to consider during patient counselling and is a typical query by patients especially when filling a prescription for the first time.
Option B: The timing of doses isn’t the only question people may have when it comes to deciphering prescriptions or oral communication from the doctor. Other abbreviations include the number of refills allowed and whether one is receiving a brand name or generic drug. Medical errors are a significant cause of death in the United States. Fortunately, most of these errors are preventable when patients are active advocates for their health and ask plenty of questions.
Option C: Two times a day by mouth is BID P.O. Seen on a prescription, b.i.d. means twice (two times) a day. It is an abbreviation for “bis in die” which in Latin means twice a day. The abbreviation b.i.d. is sometimes written without a period either in lower-case letters as “bid” or in capital letters as “BID”.
Option D: However it is written, it is one of a number of hallowed abbreviations of Latin terms that have been traditionally used in prescriptions to specify the frequency with which medicines should be taken.