A client receives a prescription for 1 L of lactated Ringer's IV to be infused over 12 hours. The IV administration set delivers 15 gtt/mL. How many gtt/min should the nurse regulate the infusion? (Enter numerical value only. If rounding is required, round to the nearest whole number.)

Calculation: Convert the total volume from liters (L) to milliliters (mL). Total volume = 1 L × 1000 mL/L = 1000 mL. Convert the infusion time from hours to minutes. Infusion time = 12 hours × 60 min/hour = 720 minutes. Drop factor of the IV administration set = 15 gtt/mL. Calculate the flow rate in drops per minute (gtt/min). Flow rate (gtt/min) = (Total volume (mL) × Drop factor (gtt/mL)) / Infusion time (min) = (1000 mL × 15 gtt/mL) / 720 min = 15000 / 720 gtt/min = 20.833... gtt/min. Round the answer to the nearest whole number. = 21 gtt/min.